The Daughter of the Apocolypse
by CrystalFabray
Summary: Yami Asaka, Fairy Tail's most mature Mage, and that's saying something for such a rowdy Guild. After being abandoned by her father, Yami closes herself off from everyone in her Guild, never letting them near her heart. However, the appearance of a new member in Fairy Tail may just change her perspective on the subject of love. (Lucy Heartfelia x OC)
1. The Fairy Tail

I raised an eyebrow at Natsu who was laying flat on the train floor. I crossed my arms as a conductor approached my pink-haired accomplice. "Um, Excuse me sir." The conductor said.

"Natsu! We made it to Hargeon!" Happy exclaimed. "Come on, get up!"

"Is he alright?"

"He's fine, this happens every time he rides." I sighed, "Stop being such a baby Natsu. You need to learn how to handle motion sickness."

"Never...I'm never riding a stupid train again." Natsu groaned before his cheeks puffed. Natsu moved so he was hanging out a window.

"If our information correct, then we should find that Salamander somewhere in this town." Happy announced as the two of us turned to Hargeon. "Let's go!" Happy and I got off the train. My eyes scanned the people around us.

"Just give me a second, would 'ya?" I turned as I heard the train engine start. "No!" Natsu cried as the train left the station. I let my head fall into my hand as the train faded into the distance.

"Uh, oh...there he goes…" Happy commented.

"Happy, go get him." I sighed, "I'll wait here for you." Happy caught up to the train and flew Natsu back to Hargeon. Natsu trudged along behind me as we walked through the streets of Hargeon. As Natsu paused to lean on a wall, I inspected my outfit in the window of a building beside us. I brushed the dirt off my black skirt and adjusted the collar of my black shirt. I made sure my white bowtie was secure, letting two little pieces under it fall down. My black tights had no holes in them and my black heels were strapped tightly to my feet. My blonde hair was pulled back out of my face with the black bow my father gave me when I was a child.

"Ugh, man. I wound up riding the train twice." Natsu complained when we continued to walk.

"Grow up, you're not on a train anymore." I scolded.

"You have gotta get over that motion sickness." Happy told us.

"'I'm so hungry I could eat my hand." Natsu added.

"You don't have money for food Natsu." I reminded him.

"Hey, Happy? Yami? This Salamander were looking for is gotta be Igneel right?"

"Aye!" Happy replied, "It has to be because the only Fire Dragon I ever heard of _is_ Igneel."

"That's true."

"Then he can tell me where my father is." I stated, crossing my arms, "That selfish, ungrateful-" I was cut off by a scream.

"Salamander!" A girl cried.

"You're so dreamy!" Another shouted.

"It's so hot!" A third exclaimed. Natsu and Happy looked at each other.

"Salamander?!" The boys shouted. They started to run towards the girls. I scoffed and followed behind slowly.

"Well speak of the devil!" Natsu said. "Were in luck today guys!"

"Aye!" Happy cheered. Natsu was unable to get close to the person in the front, too kind to push away the girls. I rolled my eyes as I pushed my way through the crowd, ignoring the protests from the other females, Natsu behind me with Happy on his shoulder.

"Igneel!" I barked, shoving my way to the front. "Show yourself!"

"Igneel, it's me!" Natsu cried. When we got to the centre, all we saw was a man in a purple cape.

"Who the heck are you?" Natsu and I asked in unison.

"Who am I?" The man in the purple cape asked hysterically. "I am Salamander, surely you've heard of me before." I scoffed and started to walk away. "Hey! Wait a minute!" Soon Natsu and I were trampled by fangirls who were shouting about how cool Salamander was.

"What is it with these Fangirls!" I complained as they pinned us down.

"Now, now lovelies, let them go. I'm sure the poor children didn't mean anything malicious by it." The fangirls then turned to Salamander. He signed a piece of paper and handed it to Natsu. "Here's my autograph kid, now you can brag to all your friends." Salamander then turned his eyes on me, "And you, my little lady can have the pleasure of a kiss."

"No thanks." Natsu and I droned. The fangirls threw us into the trash.

"Guess it wasn't him after all." Happy commented.

"You think." I growled. We sat up and stared as Salamander used fire to fly away. "Who the hell was that guy anyway?"

"I don't know but he was a real creep." A voice said from behind us. I looked behind me to see a blonde girl, about 17 with big brown eyes. She was wearing a blue and white shirt with a blue mini skirt and is also wearing knee-high brown boots. She also had a whip and a key pouch hanging off her belt. My heart skipped a beat, she was gorgeous. She gave us a wave. "Thank you for your help!" She had the sweetest scent, vanilla and...something else...The girl was nice enough to treat us to lunch. Natsu and I ate like our lives depended on it, plates piling up beside us. "My name's Lucy. It's nice to meet you."

"Aye!" Happy said.

"Uh, Natsu, Happy and Yami was it?"

"That's what we said, wasn't it?" I growled, my face full of food.

"You can slow down, we're not in a hurry. And food is kind of flying everywhere. Evidently, that Salamander guy was using Magic, a charm spell to hypnotise the ladies in town to thinking they were in love with him. Charm spells have the power to attract people to you against their own will. But they've been banned for years, nobody even _sells_ them anymore! He must have got through a lot of trouble to get his hands on it, what a creep. I totally fell victim to his spell but I snapped out of it thanks to you two barging in when you did. I really can't thank you guys enough."

"No problem." Natsu said with his mouth full.

"I may not look like it but, I'm a wizard too!"

"Is that so?"

"Yeah, but I haven't joined a guild or anything. Oh, I should probably explain, huh?" I guess she doesn't know who we are. I didn't have it in my heart to tell her otherwise. Something deep within me made me listen to her. "See, Guilds are organisations where Wizards come together to share information and find work and things like that. Unfortunately, you aren't considered a full-fledged Wizard until you become a member of a guild. But there are tons of them all over the world, I heard it's really tough to get into the more popular ones and the Guild I wanna join is the most popular one there is! They're the greatest and they're always featured in Sorcerer Weekly! Oh, if I could actually convince them to let me in I think I'd just about die! Oh, I'm sorry, I guess all this Wizarding talk must sound like a bunch of gibberish to you, huh? But I'm telling you, I'm definitely going to join that Guild someday. Then I'm going to take all kinds of exciting jobs and make tones of money."

"Really?" I asked sarcastically.

"You talk a lot." Happy commented.

"Oh man, I almost forgot, you guys came here to find somebody, didn't you?" Lucy asked.

"We're looking for Igneel!" Happy told her.

"We heard a rumour that a Salamander was going to be in this town today." I explained, crossing my arms. "We came down here to see him but he wasn't the person we were looking for. Turns out he was a big fat phony."

"Yeah, that guy didn't look like a salamander at all."

"No kidding." Natsu agreed, "I bet that poser can't even breathe fire like a real Dragon."

"Uh, I don't get it." Lucy admitted, "Your friend Igneel looks like a dragon?"

"No, Igneel doesn't just look like a dragon, he is a real Dragon."

"Huh?"

"Aye! Igneel is a real-life Fire Dragon!" Happy chirped.

"Why would a Fire Dragon show up in the middle of town!" Lucy shouted. I paused, how dumb was I. Dragons are massive, why would a massive Dragon show up in a fishing town? "It's totally ridiculous!" Lucy placed down some jewel on the table, "Well, I should get going." Lucy stood and started to walk out of the restaurant. "Enjoy the rest of your lunches and maybe I'll see you around." Natsu and Happy got onto the floor and bowed down.

"Thank you for the food!" Natsu shouted.

"Thank you!" Happy cried.

"Cut it out your embarrassing me!" Lucy exclaimed. "Look, it's cool. You guys helped me out earlier so let's just call it even."

"I feel bad though because we weren't even trying to help her." Natsu said to Happy.

"Aye, we owe her something." Happy added.

"Oh, I know!" Natsu handed Lucy the signature he got from Salamander. "Here, this is for you!"

"NO WAY!" Lucy shouted.

_TIMESKIP_

It was night. Natsu, Happy and I were resting after the huge eat. "That was quite a meal, right guys?" Natu asked, leaning on the railing.

"Aye." Happy agreed.

"Lucy was very kind." I muttered. "Despite how obnoxious you were."

"Hey look, do you think that's the boat where that Salamander is having his party?" Natsu's cheeks puffed.

"I'm gonna hurl." He groaned.

"Oh come on, it's not like we're going aboard or anything."

"Oh my gosh! That's Salamander's yacht isn't it?!" I heard a girl ask. I looked over to see three girls staring at the boat at sea.

"I wish I could have gone to his party." Another admitted.

"Who's Salamander?" A third asked.

"Woah, you've never heard of him?" The first questioned. "He's a super famous wizard that's in town right now!"

"Yeah, and he's a member of Fairy Tail!" The second one revealed. My face hardened.

"Fairy Tail…?" I trailed off. Natsu looked out to the boat and his cheeks puffed again. I stared at the boat with narrowed eyes. "He claims to be in Fairy Tail?" I muttered angrily, "We'll see about that." I concentrated my magic on the soles of my feet and launched myself up into the air alongside Natsu who was being carried by Happy. Happy dropped Natsu onto the boat next to me as I crashed through the roof.

"Hey, I know you!" Lucy said. The boat rocked and I heard Natsu groan again.

"This was a bad idea." He groaned.

"You are so lame!"

"Hey, what are you doing here Lucy?" Happy asked,

"Oh, Happy, this jerk tricked me, he said he was going to get me into Fairy Tail. Hold up, since when did you have wings?"

"I'll explain that later ok?" Happy said. He wrapped his tail around Lucy's waist and he flew away from the ship. "Hold on!"

"After them!" Salamander ordered. "We can't let them report this to the Magic Council! Prominence Whip!" Salamander shouted. Purple flames erupted from his hands and shot towards Lucy and Happy who quickly dodged.

"That cat's quicker than he looks." A goon commented.

"Did you honestly forget about us?" I asked, stepping forward. Natsu was breathing heavily, his motion sickness getting to him. "You claim to be in the Fairy Tail Guild?" I crossed my arms. Suddenly, a huge wave appeared, sweeping the boat to shore. Natsu stood and stretched on the ruins of the boat.

"So, you claim to be a member of the Fairy Tail Guild?" Natsu asked.

"So, what's it to you?" Salamander questioned. "Go get 'em, men."

"Sir." Some of Salamanders henchmen replied.

"Let us get a closer look at your face." Natsu shed his jacket. Two of 'Salamanders' men ran up to us.

"Watch out!" Lucy cried. When the two men ran up to us, I jumped, lifted my leg and kicked them away. I spun in the air, landing on my feet, one hand gently touching the floor while the other was in the air. Natsu had shed his coat, revealing the Fairy Tail Guild Mark on his shoulder.

"My name is Natsu." He started, "And this is Yami."

"We're both Fairy Tail Wizards, and I've never seen your face before." I growled.

"That mark on his arm." One of Salamander's men whimpered, "This guy's the real deal, Bora."

"Don't call me that you fool!" Bora, formerly known as Salamander, cried.

"We have no idea what you're trying to do here buddy." Natsu said as we advanced.

"And I don't care if your good, bad, whatever." I added. "But I won't let you stain the good name of Fairy Tail!"

"And what are you gonna do about it?" Bora questioned, "Stop me? Promonice Typhoon!" Bora shot fire towards us. We stood there as the flames engulfed us.

"Eugh! This is so gross!" Natsu complained,

"The Ethernano in this magic is weak." I added, helping Natsu consume the fire.

"Are you sure your really a Fire Wizard? These are the nastiest flames I've ever tasted!" Natsu said as we continued to slurp up the flames. "But, thanks for the grub poser."

"What's going on here!" Bora shouted, "Who are these kids!"

"Now I've got fires in my belly that's raging to get out!" Natsu exclaimed. We took a deep breath, "Fire Dragon!"

"Black Dragon!" I continued.

"ROAR!" We shouted. I made a pipe with my hands, placing my mouth at the base. A jet of inky black magic shot from my clenched hands, encased by Natsu's red flames. All of Bora's men were burnt to a crisp. However, Bora himself had used his magic to create a pedestal for himself so he wasn't injured.

"Hey, Bora!" One of his lackeys groaned, "I swear I've seen these guys before. The pink hair, and the scaly-looking scarf? There's no doubt about it, he's gotta be the real one!"

"Salamander!" Lucy gasped.

"And the girl! Those cold blue eyes, dressed in black, she must be the Shadow."

"I hope you guys were paying attention!" Natsu shouted. Red flames surrounded his fists whereas a black, inky substance encased my fists.

"Because this is what a true Fairy Tail wizard can do!" I added.

"Here we come!" We exclaimed as we dashed towards Bora.

"Red Shower!" He shouted. Little balls of purple flames rained down on us. We dodged them and then used our magic to propel ourselves up to Bora. We kicked him down and he crashed into a building. We landed on a house opposite him. "Hell Prominence!" Bora shot a beam of magic that destroyed some of Hargeon, completely missing us. Bora threw a large concentrated ball of flames at us. Natsu and I stopped it with our hands and then we sucked up the fire.

"Now that was a hefty meal." Natsu stated.

"You're not so bad at Magic." I added,

"But we're about to cook you like a smoked fish!"

"Your gonna do what to me?!" Bora exclaimed.

"Get ready. Fire Dragon!"

"Black Dragon!" I continued.

"Iron Fist!" We shouted. Natsu and I shot towards Bora and punched him square across the face. Once we landed back on the floor, we looked around.

"Oh man." I muttered, "We overdid it…" I then heard the sound of footsteps and looked towards the sound. I saw a group of men with spears and sheilds.

"The Army?!" Lucy asked. I grabbed her hand and dragged her behind me as we ran.

"Let's go!"

"Where the heck are you taking me?!"

"Just, continue running! You said you wanted to join Fairy Tail right?"

"So let's go!" Natsu said. Lucy's face broke out into a grin.

"Alright!" She cheered, running alongside us.


	2. Monkey, Bull and a Dragon Duo

The four of us stood in front of Fairy Tail. Lucy had her bag beside her. "Welcome to Fairy Tail." Happy said. Natsu then kicked down the doors.

"We made it back alive!" Natsu shouted.

"Were home!" I ignored the greetings I received as I approached the stairs leading to the second floor.

"Welcome back Yami." Mira greeted. "Going up to see the Master?" I nodded. I walked up the stairs and knocked on Master's door.

"Enter." He called. I opened the door and entered the Master's office. "Ah, Yami, welcome home."

"Thank you, Master." I said. I sat down opposite him at his desk as he put aside a stack of paperwork.

"You usually don't come here unless something's happened."

"Bora of Titans Nose. I discovered what he was doing after he was banished from his Guild."

"And what is that?"

"He owns a slave-ring. We managed to defeat him, the Army most likely has him in custody as we speak, but it doesn't hurt to know what he's up to."

"Thank you, Yami."

"I believe the weekly Natsu-Returns-Home-Guild-Brawl is underway." Master Makarov nodded as he followed me out. I crossed my arms and leant on the balcony as Master Makarov entered the first floor. Master Makarov grew to his giant size.

"WOULD YOU FOOLS STOP BICKERING LIKE CHILDREN!" Master Makarov boomed. I watched as everyone stopped, afraid of getting scolded by the most powerful man in the room.

"He's huge!" Lucy exclaimed.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know you were still here Master." Mira said calmly.

"Did you say, Master!" Natsu started to laugh.

"Man, talk about a bunch of babies!" He shouted, "Looks like I won this round you guys-" Master Makarov stepped on him, silencing the loudmouth. Master Makarov turned to Lucy,

"Well, seems we've a new recruit." He mused,

"Yes, sir!" Lucy squeaked. Master Makarov started to shrink down to his normal size,

"Nice to meet 'ya!"

"He's tiny! This little guy's really in charge here?"

"Of course he is." Mira said simply, "Allow me to introduce the Fairy Tail Guild Master, Makarov." Master Makarov jumped up to the railing of the second floor but accidentally hit his head on the railing. I reached down and grabbed the collar of his shirt, hauling him onto the railing beside me.

"Thank you Yami." Master Makarov said. He then turned to the Guild, "You've gone and done it again, you bunch of clods!" He declared. He then held up a stack of papers. "Just look at how much paperwork the Magic Council sent me this time! This is the biggest pile of complaints yet! Have you lost your minds! All you kids are good for are getting the higher-ups mad at me!" We all looked down in shame, "However." The stack of papers in the Master's hands promptly burst into flames. "I say to heck with the Magic Council." He handed the papers over to me. I took the flaming papers and started to eat them, munching on them as Master Makarov continued to speak. "Now listen up. Any power that surpasses reason, still comes from reason right? Magic isn't some kind of miraculous power, it is a talent that only works when the flow of energy inside of us, and the flow of energy in the natural world are in perfect synchronisation. To perform magic, one must have a strong mind and the ability to focus. It should take over your being and come pouring out of your soul! If all we do is worry about following rules then our magic will never progress. Don't let those blowhards on the Council scare you, follow the path you believe in! 'Cause that's what makes the Fairy Tail Guild number one!" Master Makarov put the Fairy Tail symbol up in the air and the rest of us followed suit. I rolled my eyes and joined in with the rest of my guild. The guilds tables were then repaired by Laki and the guild went back to calm. I was seated at the bar with a mug of beer in my hand, sipping it.

"How come my dad hasn't come back yet?" I heard a voice ask. I looked up from my mug and saw Romeo standing in front of Master Makarov.

"Your starting to work my nerves, Romeo." Master said to the young boy. "Your a wizard's son, have faith in your father and wait patiently for him."

"But Sir, he told me he'd be back in three days, and he's been gone for over a week now!"

"If I remember correctly he took the job on Mount Hakobe."

"That's right and it's not that far from here so why won't somebody go look for him!"

"Listen, kid, your old man's a wizard! And like every other wizard in this guild he can take care of himself! Now go home, have some milk and cookies, and wait!"

"JERK!" Romeo shouted as he punched Master Makarov in the nose. The young boy ran out of the guild in tears. "I HATE YOU ALL!" I clenched my hand so hard that the glass broke. My hand was fine, but I stood and walked out of the guild, shoving anyone who was in my way. I stalked through the streets of Magnolia, Natsu following after me.

_TIMESKIP_

"Why'd you come with us?" Natsu groaned. He and I, as well as Happy and Lucy, were travelling to Mt Hakobe to find Macao.

"I thought maybe I could help." Lucy said plainly. "Wow, you do have a serious case of motion sickness, don't you? It's just another reason to feel sorry for you." I glared at Lucy.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" I growled.

"Oh, nothing!" Lucy squeaked, "Forget I said anything!" The carriage then stopped a few minutes later. I jumped out of the carriage and stretched.

"Natsu, Yami, where the heck are we? It's a frozen wasteland!" We started walking up the mountain as the carriage went back down. "Why is it so cold? I know we're on a mountain but it's the summer right now there shouldn't be a blizzard like this anywhere!"

"That's what you get for wearing light clothing." Natsu said.

"Oh please, your not dressed for it!" Lucy started to pull the blanket out of Natsu's pack, "Now hand over that blanket!" Once Lucy got the blanket, she then had an idea. "Oh, I know!" Lucy pulled a silver key from her belt, "Open! Gate of the Clock constellation! Horologium!" Gears and a clock face appeared out of nowhere to form a large grandfather clock. Arms popped out the side as well as a head from the top.

"Tick tock!" Horologium said.

"Nice clock." I muttered.

"That is so cool!" Happy exclaimed. Lucy then started to say something but we couldn't hear her as she was inside the large clock.

"We can't hear you, Lucy."

"She says, 'I'm staying in here and I'm not coming out.'" Horologium said for her.

"Then why'd you tag along?" Natsu asked.

"'What kind of crazy job would force Macao to come to a place like this!' She inquires."

"You should have asked that before you came with us."

"Macao came up here to take out a large monster called a Vulcan." I explained. Natsu. Happy and I started to walk more up the mountain,

"'I want to go back to the guild!' She proclaims." Horologium repeated.

"Go ahead and be my guest, I say back." Natsu muttered.

"Aye." Happy agreed.

"Macao!" I shouted, cupping my hands over my mouth, "Where the hell are you!"

"Macao!" Happy echoed. My eyes glanced behind me for a split second before I jumped out of the way, landing a good bit away. Natsu landed next to me. I glared at the Vulcan that had appeared. I got into a fighting position, ready to battle. However, it completely ignored me and ran to Lucy, picking up Horologium.

"Me like human woman!" The monster exclaimed. The Vulcan then ran off with Lucy,

"'Don't just stand there hurry up and save me!' She yells furiously." Horologium repeated. I grit my teeth, I had to get her back.

_TIMESKIP_

Natsu and I ran up the mountain, following the Vulcan's scent. It was all over the place. However, I followed Lucy's scent that was mingled in with it. I pushed myself harder, forcing myself to increase my speed, trying to reach Lucy as quick as I could. We soon made it to a cave made of ice.

"Hey! You big ape!" Natsu shouted as we ran into the cave, "Where's Macao! Tell me!" Natsu then slipped on the ice and spun in circles, crashing into a wall.

"Woah, that wasn't cool." Lucy said. "Why does he feel like he has to make an entrance all the time." I skidded to a stop in front of Lucy, facing the Vulcan.

"Where is Macao?" I snarled, glaring at the Vulcan. "You understand human speech, right? Well, that's what Macao is, a human."

"He's a human man, now tell me where he is!" Natsu demanded.

"Man?" The Vulcan questioned.

"That's right, where are you hiding him?"

"Don't you think you might be jumping to conclusions?" Lucy asked.

"Hey, I think he's gonna show me." Natsu said. The Vulcan pointed to the exit of the cave and when Natsu leant out, the Vulcan pushed him. I walked over to the hole and peered down, an eyebrow raised.

"Natsu!" Lucy shouted as we looked outside.

"No like man! Me like woman!" The Vulcan cheered.

"He'll be fine." I assured Lucy who looked extremely worried. Lucy and I then turned to the Vulcan.

"Alright you pervy monkey, you're goin' down!" Lucy stated as she pulled a golden key from her hip. "Open! Gate of the Golden Bull! Taurus!" A large bull-like creature then appeared from the ground. He stood on two legs and had an axe strapped to his back.

"Cow?" The Vulcan muttered.

"I should warn you, monkey boy, Taurus is the most powerful Celestial Spirit that I have a contract with."

"Oh wow Miss Lucy, I almost forgot what a nice figure you have why don't you come give me a smooooch." Taurus said.

"Oh yeah, and _he's_ a big perv too."

"If not you then what about your lovely friend." Taurus inched his way over to me. I glared at him, karate-chopping him between the horns.

"Stay away bull-boy!" I shouted.

"No touch my women." The Vulcan growled.

"_Your_ women?" Taurus questioned, "Them's fightin' words you moooonkey."

"Get 'em!" Lucy shouted. Taurus then lifted his axe and swung it to the ground, causing a crack in the ground that shot out some of the ice. The Vulcan dogged it by jumping out of the way, "He's fast." The Vulcan then went to slam Taurus to the ground but the bull was interrupted by a kick to the face, courtesy of Natsu.

"Looks like this is the end for me…" Taurus moaned.

"Epic fail!"

"Hey, so how come there are more monsters than when I left?" Natsu asked.

"He's a friend dummy! One of my spirit's!"

"That guy?" I bought my hand down on Natsu and gave him a karate chop to the head.

"Not the monkey the bull you idiot!" I exclaimed.

"Wait a minute, how were you able to survive out there?" Lucy questioned. Natsu turned back to her and smirked.

"Happy came to save me." He told her. He then looked up at the flying blue cat, "Thanks, little buddy."

"Aye." Happy said.

"Oh so you can't handle other modes of transportation but flying with Happy is ok?" Lucy stated.

"What kind of stupid question is that?" Natsu asked. "Happy isn't a mode of transportation, he's my friend. I mean duh!"

"Your right it was totally wrong of me to compare them." Lucy corrected.

"My women!" The Vulcan shouted. I had almost forgotten he was there. He tried to hammer Natsu to the ground but said pink haired boy used his arm to stop the giant fist, cracking the ground beneath him.

"You listen up." Natsu stated, "We consider everyone in the Fairy Tail guild our friends." I scoffed,

"Friends? They're more like our family." I corrected. I then kicked the Vulcan off him, landing delicately back onto my feet in a crouch. "Master Makarov is our grandfather, our guildmates are our brothers and sisters. Heck, even Lucy's my sister!" A magic circle appeared under my feet. It was inky black, almost blue. It had an image of a Dragon Head in the centre with runes surrounding it. "And if you attack one of our family, you pay the price. You hand over Macao right now! We're not leaving without him!" I launched myself forward and kicked him in the gut with my magic-covered foot. The Vulcan landed a little way away and ice spikes fell from the roof of the cave, landing across the floor. The Vulcan then clapped and sent the spikes towards me. Unfortunately for him, Natsu jumped in front of me. The ice hit him and melted at contact. When the steam cleared, we noticed that the Vulcan had Taurus' axe in its grip.

"That's not good." Natsu muttered.

"He's got Taurus' axe!" Lucy gasped. I jumped out of the way of the axe as it tried to hit us. Natsu slipped and landed on his back. As the Vulcan swung down, Natsu caught the blade with his hands. Lucy was in the corner, trying to wake Taurus up and send him back to the Spirit World. I watched as Natsu melted the blade and a few pieces of the metal fell into his mouth.

"Now I got a fire in my belly!" Natsu muttered before spitting the small bits of metal at the Vulcan. Natsu then pounded his fist's together, "Fire Dragon! Iron Fist!" Natsu punched the Vulcan. It landed upside down, embedded in the ice.

"He beat him!" Happy cheered.

"Wasn't this monkey supposed to tell us where your friend is?" Lucy questioned.

"Oh, forgot about that." Natsu admitted.

"Well, I don't think he's gonna do much talking." I then watched on in horror and amazement as the Vulcan shone gold. It pixelated before shrinking and turning into the person who we came to save.

"Macao!" I gasped.

"Are you telling me that big perverted monkey was actually your friend this whole time?!"

"Yeah, he must have been taken over by that Vulcan." Happy said.

"What do you mean 'taken over'?"

"It must have used a possession spell on him." You see, Vulcan's survive by stealing people's bodies and taking them over. There evil body snatchers." We had gotten Lucy's discarded blanket and laid it out on the ground, laying Macao on top. "It looks like he put up a good fight before that Vulcan got to him though…"

"Macao! Don't you die on me! Romeo is waiting for you!" Natsu shouted.

"His mother's gone and I'll be damned if he loses you too!" I added. "I am not letting Romeo grow up alone! Open your eyes old man!" Macao did just that. He opened his eyes slowly and I smiled.

"Natsu? Yami?" Macao questioned,

"Your ok!" Natsu cheered.

"I'm so pathetic. I defeated nineteen of those brutes. But the twentieth, that's the one that got me. I'm so angry with myself, embarrassed to go home and face Romeo."

"Don't be like that man, you beat nineteen of those Monsters." I stood and held my hand out to Macao. He grabbed it and I pulled him up.

"Let's go home, old man." I said, "Romeo's been waitin' for ya."

_TIMESKIP_

Natsu and I each had an arm around Macao as we helped him walk. When we saw Romeo, Natsu called out. "Hey! Romeo!" Natsu shouted. Romeo looked up and spotted his dad, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Dad!" Romeo shouted, launching himself at his father with a huge hug. "You came back! I'm so sorry dad!"

"No, I'm sorry for making you worry." Macao apologised.

"I can handle it. I'm a Wizard's son." I turned to leave, Natsu, Happy and Lucy in toe.

"Next time those bullies pick on you here's what you say, 'Can your old man defeat nineteen monsters all by himself because mine can'."

"Natsu! Yami! Happy!" Romeo shouted to us, "Thanks for your help!"

"Yeah, yeah." I muttered, giving him a wave over my shoulder.

"Lucy! Thanks for helping them bring my daddy back to me!" I smirked as I continued to walk on.


	3. Infiltrate The Everlue Mansion

"My bedroom! Get the heck out of here you jerks!" I heard Lucy shout. I scoffed, knocking on the door instead. "One minute!" I crossed my arms as the door opened. Lucy stood there wearing a t-shirt and shorts.

"I followed Natsu here." I stated, "Came to bring him back."

"Alright...come on in." Lucy sighed, "You can have some tea with Natsu then you gotta go."

"Sure." Very soon, we were all sitting at Lucy's table. A cup of tea in front of each of us,

"Look, I just moved in and I'm not ready for guests that show up in my bedroom. So how 'bout you guys just drink your tea, say thanks, and get out. You got that?"

"Talk about cold-hearted…" Natsu muttered,

"Ice cold." Happy agreed.

"Watch it cat." Lucy warned.

"She has a point, boys, we came her unannounced." I said, "We shouldn't be imposing this early into her stay at her new house." I took hold of my cup of tea and took a sip.

"Hey, I know!" Natsu exclaimed, perking up. "Why don't you show us those weird little key guys you like to collect."

"They're Celestial Spirits." I explained, setting my cup down, "My Father taught me about them when I was a little girl. Celestial Spirits live in another dimension. Lucy makes contracts with these spirits and when her contract allows it, she uses her keys to summon a particular spirit to help her in battle."

"How many of these 'Celestial Spirits' do you have contracts with?" Happy asked. Lucy lifted her ring of keys. Three of them were silver, and the other three was gold.

"Six so far." She told us. "Not to brag or anything but I even have a couple different types of them." Lucy laid her keys out on the table. "The Silver Keys are the ones you find in the Magic Shops. I've got Horologium the Clock, Crux the Southern Cross and Lyra the Harp. But the Gold ones are super rare. There twelve total and they open the gates of the Zodiac. I got Taurus the Golden Bull, Aquarius the Water Bearer, and that last one is Cancer the Giant Crab."

"Giant Crab?!" Natsu examined,

"Giant Crab legs!" Happy cheered.

"I've never met anyone as obsessed with food than these two." Lucy commented. I hummed in agreement, taking a sip of my tea. "That reminds me, I need to make a contract with the key I bought in Hargeon." Lucy said. She then stood, "I don't suppose you guys are interested in seeing how a Celestial Wizard makes a contract with a Celestial Spirit."

"I hope it's not some grody blood pact." Happy whispered,

"Well, it sounds like a pain in the but to me." Natsu responded.

"Um, I can hear you, so leave my but out of this." Lucy ordered.

"Just ignore them, Lucy." I sighed, "Everyone does anyway."

"Alright, pay attention." Everyone in the room turned and focused on Lucy, "_I call upon thee in the world of the Celestial Spirits. I beckon you to my side at once, pass through the gate._" Lucy chanted, "Open! Gate of Canis Minor! Come, Nicola!" In front of us, a light formed a small snowman, with a large orange nose and beady black eyes appeared. It shook slightly as it stood. I lifted an eyebrow at it. I guess it was cute...in a disgusting sort of way...

"Nice try." Natsu and Happy said to Lucy.

"Shut up! I meant to do that!" Lucy lept at the small snowman, cuddling it to her cheeks. "You are such a cutie patootie!"

"You think so?" Natsu questioned.

"It doesn't take much magic power to get these little guys through the gate, so a lot of Wizards actually keep them as pets." Lucy explained.

"This whole pet thing doesn't sit well with me." Happy muttered,

"Not with a weird master like Loony here." Natsu whispered back.

"My name is Lucy. And I can still hear you." Lucy stated. Lucy put the little Nicola down and stepped back, kneeling on her legs.

"Well, let's start working on our contract." Lucy said to the small snowman, pulling out a pen and paper. "Are you free Mondays?" Nicola shook its head. Lucy wrote down its answer. "Tuesdays?" Nicola nodded. "Wednesdays?" I waited patiently as Lucy made her contract. "Great, well, that just about does it." Lucy declared. She put her pen and paper away.

"That was pretty easy." Happy commented from his spot on Natsu's shoulder.

"It may seem silly to you, but it's really important. You see, a Celestial Wizard's contract relies on the promise that's made between the Wizard and the Spirit, which is why I make it a point to always keep my promises. Got it? Ok, now I just need to come up with a name."

"Isn't it Nicola?"

"That's the species." I said picking up the now empty cups and saucers from the table.

"Oh! I know!" Lucy exclaimed, "Come here Plue!"

"Plue huh?" The boys chorused.

"I think it's like the cutest name ever!"

"Are you're sure he's cool with that?" Natsu asked.

"Why wouldn't he be?" Lucy replied. I walked into the kitchen, setting the dirty cups and plates in the sink before returning to the lounge room to see Lucy clutching a job request as she cried in the corner.

"You showed her the job request, didn't you?" I sighed, crossing my arms.

"Yep." Natsu replied with a grin.

"You two are so cruel…"

_TIMESKIP_

"Are you enjoying your carriage ride today master, is there anything I can get for you?" Lucy asked mockingly.

"I could really use a barf bag right about now." Natsu groaned. Lucy, Natsu, Happy and myself were travelling to Shirotsume to meet a client that wants a book stolen. Natsu was almost hanging out of the window, leaning very close to it.

"I'm playing the part of the master so I should be giving the orders!" Happy exclaimed.

"Shut up you stupid feline." Lucy stated. "Hey, guys?"

"Yeah, what's up?" Natsu asked,

"I was just wondering why you picked me to join your team."

"You seem like a pretty interesting person Lucy." I explained, "And...you're nice…" I looked away, my cheeks heating up.

"But you're just so weird!" Natsu added.

"Anyway, I'm totally stoked about my first real job." Lucy continued. "I know I'm gonna rock it."

"Realy?" Happy asked, "I thought you were upset about it."

"Yeah, I was mad at first, but if this perv likes pretty girls, I'm perfect for the job right?"

"All you humans kind of look alike to me." Happy commented.

"I think it's time we worked out our pay scale." Lucy said, "Since Yami and I are doing all the work, I think we should split the reward, forty, forty, ten and ten."

"You only want ten percent?"

"I'm one of the forties!"

_TIMESKIP_

"That's the last time I'm riding in one of those." Natsu groaned as we trudged through Shirotsume. He was slumped over while walking, his stomach heaving.

"You say that every time Natsu." I sighed, my arms crossed. The four of us were walking towards the client's house.

"Man, I'm starving."

"Can't you just eat your own fire?" Lucy asked.

"Oh yeah, that's a great idea." Natsu deadpanned. "Why don't you just eat Plue or your cow while we're at it?"

"Why would I do something like that?"

"It's the same principle, Lucy." I started to explain, "When we're using our magic, we use up our energy to do so. If we're eating our own magic, or if I eat Natsu's fire, nothing happens. I'm replenishing my energy at the same rate I'm losing it."

"Woah, let's stop and get a bite!" Natsu exclaimed as we came across a restaurant.

"Nah, I'm alright." Lucy said, "But you guys enjoy!" My face fell as I watched Lucy walk away.

"What is with her." Natsu muttered, "We should be eating as a team."

"It doesn't matter." I stated, turning my back on Lucy, which for some reason made my heart ache. Natsu, Happy and I sat down at the restaurant. The boys dug into the food as soon as it was set in front of them. I rested my elbow on the table, my fist holding my head up as I looked to the street below. I didn't feel like eating, Lucy leaving made me lose my appetite.

"Be sure to save the fatty stuff for Lucy." Natsu said through a bite of food.

"Yeah from the looks of her it's what she likes the most." Happy added.

"Hold it right there cat, what the heck is that supposed to mean?" Lucy asked as she approached. I turned towards her. She was clad in a maid's uniform, with the hairpiece and everything. My mouth dropped open. "Come on, don't be shy guys, I know I look super cute in this uniform." I coughed, turning my head to the side to hide my blush. "Have you had enough food Master, or shall I bring you some more? Your wish is my command."

"What do we do!" Happy whispered to his pink-haired partner, "We were joking about the costume but she took it seriously!"

"I guess we're just gonna have to go along with it, don't say anything, ok?" Natsu replied in the same tone. My head whipped around and I glared at them, reaching over the table to slap them over the head.

"I can hear you." Lucy muttered angrily.

_TIMESKIP_

The four of us soon re-grouped at the gates of a large mansion. We were soon ussured inside and had a meeting with the person who posted the request. "My name is Kaby Melon." He introduced, "Pleased to meet you."

"He said melon." Happy drooled,

"Oh man, you have a tasty name." Natsu added.

"Quit being rude guys." Lucy scolded.

"Don't worry, I get that a lot." Kaby said. "Well, first things first. Allow me to tell you about the job. It's pretty straightforward, really. Duke Everlue has a book called Daybreak in his possession. I would like you to burn it for me."

"No prob. I'll burn down the whole place if you want." Natsu stated, lifting a finger and lighting a flame. I closed my hand on top of Natsu's finger and extinguished the fire.

"We don't need to be caught by the Magic Council for arson, Natsu." I said. "Sir, may I ask why you want the book destroyed."

"For two-hundred-thousand Jewel, who the heck cares."

"The reward has been raised to two million." Kaby corrected. My eyes widened.

"I'm sorry, you said two million jewl?" I repeated.

"I'm sorry, I thought you were aware the amount had changed."

"Two million split four ways!" Natsu shouted, "Wow! I stink at math, but that's a lot!"

"Wait! I got it!" Happy spoke up, "I get one million, you get one million, and the girls can split the rest!"

"That sure sounds fair to me!" I slapped the boys over the top of the head.

"It's two-hundred-thousand each for you two, and then eight-hundred-thousand each for Lucy and I." I said.

"Why did you raise the reward?" Lucy asked.

"Well, because it means that much to me." Kaby explained, his folded hands clenhing. "That book must be destroyed, no matter the cost."

"Oh yeah! I am fired up now!" Natsu shouted.

"Let's do this!" We all ran out of the mansion towards Duke Everlue's home.

_TIMESKIP_

The four of us stood a little way from the perverted old man's house. Lucy and I had approached the large gate and looked up at it. "Excuse me! I heard you had an opening for a maid position!" Lucy shouted, "Hello?"

"Don't screw up ok!" Natsu whisper-shouted at us from behind a tree.

"Break a leg!" Happy added. I glared back at them, my hair flaring up beside me. The two 'eep'-ed and hid behind the tree more. Suddenly, the ground behind us split open and a large woman jumped out. She wasn't large as in she was overweight...well...she was...but she was also super tall. She had her pink hair tied in pigtails on her head. And boy, was she ugly.

"So your a maid?" The big lady asked. Her voice was deep, masculine.

"Yes!"

"I assume you're here 'cause the add that the Master placed in the paper?"

"Bo-yo-yo-yo-yo!" A voice cried as another figure jumped from the hole the maid made before, "Did I hear someone say, Master?" I cringed at the smell assaulted my nostrils. Duke Everlue smelt like someone hadn't washed their hair in days. And...I had to place my hand over my mouth to stop myself from puking, his moustache was growing out of his nose. "Let's see here…" Everlue mused, eyeing Lucy and I.

"Well, I sure hope you like what you see!" Lucy chirped. Everlue stared at us for a solid minute before turning his back on us,

"Hmm, I'll pass. Now scram uglies." The large woman picked Lucy and I up by the waist. I thrashed in her grip.

"LET ME GO YOU APE!"

"You heard the man." She told us, "Get going uglies."

"Sorry, but a man of my standing has certain standards to uphold." Four more maids appeared behind Everlue, each more ugly than the last. "That's why I only hire the fairest of the fair."

"Oh! Your the best master!"

"I've never met such a kind-hearted man!"

"I think you're the sweetest guy alive!"

"Why don't you run along home uglies." Lucy had sulked away and was sitting under a tree, crying once the maid had let us go.

"Just couldn't do it, huh?" Natsu questioned.

"I tried!" Lucy wailed, "But that idiot wouldn't know beauty if it bit him in the behind!"

"Ok, I guess we'll have to resort to old plan T!"

"Yeah! That big fat jerk's gonna pay for this!"

"I think we should go with plan S, Natsu." I suggested.

"What the heck is plan S?" Lucy asked.

"S stands for silent and sneaky!" Happy had gracefully set us all down on top of the balconies of Everlue's mansion. Natsu placed her hands on the window closest to him and melted a hole big enough for everyone to fit through.

"I still say we should have gone with plan T." Natsu muttered. "We should have just busted right in through the front door."

"What did I tell you before?" Lucy asked rhetorically. "I'm not going to jail 'cause of you."

"Yeah, but I thought you were out to get revenge on this guy!"

"Oh, I'll get my revenge. Not only am I gonna burn his book I'm gonna use his toothbrush to clean the toilet!"

"That's totally gross…" Natsu commented.

"Totally…" Happy agreed. We all climbed through the window.

"Woah, is this some kind of weird storeroom?" Lucy muttered as we looked around the room we had landed in. Happy then jumped up with a scream, a skull on his head.

"Check me out!" The blue feline cheered.

"Your looking fierce Happy." Natsu agreed. Between the four of us, we worked our way through the mansion looking in every room to try and find this book. "Are we gonna have to search _every room_ in this whole stinkin' place?"

"Well, yeah."

"I think we should take a hostage and force them to tell us where the book is!"

"Aye!" Happy agreed.

"The whole point of this mission is to not be noticed." I sighed, "We need to be like ninjas."

"Like a real ninja…" Natsu trailed off.

"What's going on inside that head of yours." Lucy groaned. I turned on my heel as the ground behind us split open.

"Intruder alert Virgo!" The four maids from earlier shouted.

"Let's crush 'em girls!" The large one, Virgo, added.

"We're toast!" Lucy whimpered.

"Rar!" Happy shouted, causing the four maids to squeal and back away, crying about how Happy was a monster. I lept forward,

"Black Dragon Iron Fist!" I shouted, sending the four into the air.

"Flying Virgo Attack!" Virgo shouted, jumping and landing on top of Natsu.

"Natsu!" Happy cried. I watched as Natsu lifted Virgo off him before jumping up and kicking her across the room with a flaming foot.

"We must not let ourselves be discovered." Natsu whispered after he landed, his scarf wrapped around his head, "We are Ninja!"

"Ninja!" Happy repeated.

"Ninja are supposed to be quiet guys." Lucy sighed. We soon came across a set of double doors. We opened them to reveal a large library.

"This is a massive library…" I commented. "Levy would go nuts over this…"

"Who would have thought that Everlue was a major bookworm." Lucy commented.

"Let's start looking!" Natsu cheered.

"Aye Sir!" Happy agreed. The four of us started to search the bookshelves to try and find Daybreak. With the size of the library, it could take a while.

"How are we ever gonna find one stupid book in this place?" Lucy questioned.

"This one has lots of pictures!" Natsu said, holding up a book.

"Look! It's a book on fish!" Happy added, waving another one.

"Hey guys!" I called, pulling a golden book from the shelf, "This one's got glitter all over it." I turned the book over and raised an eyebrow. I slid down the ladder I was on, gently landing on the floor. "And it so happens to be the book we're looking for."

"Two million Jewel, here we come!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Well, let's burn it then." I approached Natsu with the book, him igniting his first.

"Hold on a second." Lucy snatched the book from my hand, causing Natsu's flame to disappear, "I didn't realise that this was written by Kemu Zaleon! Zaleon was a great wizard and an amazing novelist. I'm such a big fan! I was totally positive that I'd read every single sentence he'd ever written but this might be an unpublished novel!"

"Who cares." Natsu said, igniting a finger, "It all burns the same to me!"

"Don't you dare touch it!" Lucy clutched the book to her chest. "This is a great work of literature. You better stay away from it Pyro!"

"Lucy, it's our job." I sighed.

"Forget about the stupid job!"

"Failure is not an option!" Happy declared.

"Come on guys! Let's just say we burned it!" Lucy pleaded. "I'll keep it a secretl I swear!"

"I'm not a liar." Natsu stated.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" A voice echoed through the room. We turned as the ground behind us broke and Everlue jumped through the floor. "So you thieves are looking to pilfer Daybreak from me, are you? Bo-yo-yo."

"See slowpoke, this is all your fault!" Natsu complained, pointing at the man.

"Um, sorry about that." Lucy apologised sheepishly.

"Couldn't he have just gone through the door?" I wondered, "I mean...it's so much easier."

"I knew all you low life wizard types were coming around here to take something of mine." Everlue continued, "I never guessed it was that stupid book."

"This works out great! If it's so stupid I guess it's fine if I keep it?" Lucy asked.

"It's mine! You can't have it so get your grubby hands off!"

"Greedy gut."

"Shut your trap ugly." I sighed and encased my fist with inky black magic.

"Lucy just give the book here and we can get this over with." I ordered.

"No way I'm not giving it to you!" Lucy wailed.

"Lucy! This is our job!" Natsu shouted at her.

"Well, at least let me read it first." Lucy said, kneeling and opening the book.

"I've had enough." Everlue growled, "How dare you put your hands on my possessions. Now, come forth Vanish Brothers!" The bookshelves at the end of the room opened to reveal two men. One was very tall and had spiky hair that looked like a star. The smaller of the two had a large plait at the base of his hair. He held a large frying pan. In my head, I'd already named them Frypan and Star-Head respectively. On their arms was an S with a wolf head imprinted on top of it. The Southern Wolves… I grit my teeth, I thought I'd taken down the Southern Wolves years ago…

"You called upon us sir?" The oldest asked.

"Can you believe these punks are from the Fairy Tail guild?" The other commented. "Talk about a bunch of runts."

"The Southern Wolves?" Happy questioned, tilting his head to the side. "I thought they disbanded years ago."

"Me too." I muttered,

"They're a Mercenary Guild!" Natsu pounded his fist into his hand.

"So you have some body guards, do ya'?" Natsu questioned.

"Bo-yo-yo-yo." Everlue laughed, twirling his nose-moustache. "The Southern Wolves are always hungry for fresh game. Say your prayers thieves."

"Hey, try and hold them up for a while." Lucy said, standing with the book in hand. "I'm not sure but I think this book holds some kind of secret." Lucy ran out of the room. Everlue started to descend into the floor.

"I'm going after the girl!" He declared. "Make sure those two don't leave here in one piece!" Everlue disappeared. I grit my teeth,

"Damn it." I hissed, "Natsu! I'm going after her!" I called as I started to follow Lucy, "And Happy's coming with me!" I snatched Happy off the floor and held him under my arm as I ran.

"I am!" Happy wailed. I let go of Happy as I ran, him flying overhead as I followed my nose to try and find Lucy. _I have to find her._ I thought, my heart racing as my heels clacked furiously on the stone floor as I ran, _Gods, this instinct, this drive to find her and protect her, why the hell do I feel this way?_


	4. Dear Kaby

I continued to run through Everlue's mansion, my nose leading me towards Lucy. Lucy's scent descended into the sewers underneath the building. I saw Everlue clutching Lucy's arms, leaning over er and pulling them at an odd ankle. "Hands off her!" I roared, my pulling my fist back and socking Everlue across the cheek, knocking him away from Lucy. I landed in a crouch in front of her. Happy landed in between us.

"Yami!" Lucy gasped, slowly getting up.

"You alright Luce?" I asked, glaring at Everlue.

"Yeah, just a little sore." Lucy then pulled out a key, "Looks like the tables have turned, but if you let me keep the book I'll think about going easy on you. Although I'm tempted to give you a good smack."

"Oh...a Celestial Wizard." Everlue mused, "But for a reader, you seem to be a bit deficient in your terms of phrase. The tables have turned implies that the weaker party has rallied to claim victory. But there's no way you two girls and that cat could ever defeat me and my Diver Magic. Bo-yo-yo-yo-yo-yo-yo-yo!" Everlue then disappeared into the ground.

"So he does that using Magic?" Happy wondered. "I had no idea Everlue was a Wizard too!" I heard a small noise next to us, so I grabbed Lucy and I dodged all of Everlue's attacks.

"Look, I know the whole story now." Lucy stated, holding the book high, "It's a horrible adventure novel about a trashy little character named Duke Everlue!"

"You serious?"

"I don't know that I'd call the protagonist trashy." Everlue said, disappearing into the ground. However, his voice echoed through the sewer. "But yes, the story itself is crap! And to think it was written by the great Kemu Zaleon!" Everlue burst out of the ground in front of Lucy and I. I jumped Lucy and I backwards. "Inexcusable!"

"I can't believe your arrogance." Lucy stated, "You forced him to write it!"

"Arrogant, _moi_? The word doesn't begin to apply!" I noticed all the holes situated around the room, and the small amount of debris falling from the ceiling. "To tell my story's an honour, no matter what the circumstances!"

"Then why'd you have to blackmail him into it?"

"He what?" I questioned.

"What's the big deal?" Everlue stated, popping up behind us and causing Lucy, Happy and I to turn. "He just needed some extra encouragement to take the job.

"Oh really." Lucy asked sarcastically.

"Any fool would have jumped at the chance to have _me_ as their muse." Everlue started to swim through the concrete. "But he had the audacity to say no." Everlue's arm appeared behind us and we turned again. "So I gave him the added inspiration in the form of an ultimatum. Write the novel or his family would be stripped of their citizenship."

"You bastard." I growled, "That would have hindered their ability to work, their whole livelihoods would have have been uprooted!"

"So you really have the power to do that?" Happy asked.

"I have the power to do anything!" Everlue declared. I could feel the ground move, and I pulled Happy and Lucy back and out of the way. "I got him to write it, didn't I? But I didn't like his attitude, so I decided he'd do best writing from a prison cell. Bo-yo-yo! He went on and on about being a brilliant novelist who would never give in to threats, but in the end, I got what I wanted!" Everlue then started to bounce around the room, and the three of us barely managed to dodge him.

"I can't believe you'd go that far just to boost your own stupid ego." Lucy scolded. "He was in solitary confinement for three years! Don't you know how hard that must have been?"

"Three whole years?" Happy repeated. There was an explosion in front of us and we all jumped back.

"Perhaps it took that long to appreciate me. Bo-yo-yo-yo." Everlue mused.

"You're wrong." Lucy stated. "More like he couldn't bear to spread your lies! But he had to satisfy your vanity. He knew if he didn't write your character as a heroic champion of justice, then his family would suffer."

"Tell me. How exactly do you know all this?" Lucy stuck the book out to him.

"It's all right here, in black and white."

"What? I read that book from cover to cover, and Kemu Zaleon isn't in it."

"Well, yeah, if you read it normally, there's no mention of him. But I know something you don't know. Long before he was an author, he was a Wizard."

"You gotta be kidding me." I muttered.

"What did he do?" Everlue growled.

"After he finished the book, he gathered all his remaining strength and cast a spell on it." Lucy explained.

"Gah! What a dirty trick. He turned a book about a great man like me into a hatchet job? The nerve of that fool!"

"Oh, get over yourself!" Lucy shouted as we jumped to avoid Evrlue popping up again. "It's true that he wrote about all the pain and torture you put him through. But the chapters that focus on what you did to him are only a small part of the book. In fact, it's secret has nothing to do with you."

"What the devil do you mean?"

"I'm not gonna give this book back to you, Duke Everlue, cause it was never really yours to begin with." Lucy lifted a key. "Open! Gate of the Giant Crab! Cancer!" In a flash of light, a person appeared. He was tanned, wearing a blue striped shirt, dark trousers and white boots. He had a ring chain in his right pocket and a hairdresser tools' bag on the left. He also wore a golden necklace and held a pair of scissors. He also wore sunglasses with green lenses and had six crab legs protruding from his back.

"A Giant Crab!" Happy cheered, "Nothing say's 'I'm gonna kick your butt' like a Crab Man with razor claws and tough-guy sunglasses! Ha ha!" I stomped on Happy's tail, causing him to yowl in pain.

"Shut up." I hissed at him, "Let Lucy concentrate or I'll glue your lips shut."

"Hey Lucy." The man, Cancer, I'm assuming, said, in a very gravelly voice, " How would you like your hair done today, baby?"

"What!" Happy shouted.

"I don't need styling, I need your help." Lucy said, exasperated. "That's the guy, take care of baldy over there."

"Whatever you say, Baby."

"Ah, so he just makes the bad guys look cooler before they kill us, that's useful." Happy commented. "Yeah, you should send him back Lucy." Everlue then did something I wasn't expecting, he pulled a gold key out of his pocket.

"Open! Gate of the Maiden!" He chanted. "Virgo!" Suddenly, the large buff maid lady burst from the ground. Oh, I guess she was a spirit.

"Did I hear my Master summon me!" Virgo shouted.

"Virgo, fetch me that book!" Everlue ordered, pointing at Lucy and I.

"Hold up, she's a Celestial Spirit?!" Lucy exclaimed. My jaw then dropped at who was _on_ Virgo. Natsu was sitting on Virgo's shoulder.

"Natsu!" I exclaimed.

"Yeah?" He confirmed.

"What is the meaning of this?" Everlue exclaimed.

"What are you doing up there?" Lucy asked.

"Well, I saw her getting up, so I jumped on her and then all of a sudden I ended up here!"

"So you grabbed a hold of her _inside_ the house? But that means...you must have passed through the Spirit Gate with her!"

"I thought that was impossible!" I shouted. "That's against the Law!"

"Lucy! What the heck do I do now?" Natsu asked.

"Finish what you started!"

"Virgo! Clean up this rubbish!" Everlue ordered as Natsu lept off the pink-haired woman.

"As you wish Master." Virgo stated. Natsu jumped out of the way of a punch from Virgo.

"Now Natsu!" I called. "Black Dragon!"

"Fire Dragon!" Natsu continued,

"Roar!" A vortex of a combination of my black magic and Natsu's fire shot at Virgo, knocking her backwards. Lucy had already wrapped her whip around Everlue.

"You make me sick!" He was thrown across the room. Natsu and I hit the side of our fists together as Lucy and Cancer finished off Everlue.

"Does this look fabulous or what?" Cancer asked.

"Oh yeah, way to go Crab Man." Natsu complimented. The room started to rumble.

"We gotta get out of here before the whole place collapses on us." I stated. I picked Lucy up and held her in a bridal carry, taking her out of the sewer with Natsu and Happy behind us. We stood in front of Everlue's mansion as it slowly sunk into the ground. I watched in awe and horror. My first building destroyed on a Job...and Master is gonna kill me.

"I like your style!" Natsu said to Lucy, "Out with a bang! You are definitely gonna fit in at Fairy Tail."

"I'm dead." I stated, crossing my arms, "I'm blaming Natsu."

"But aren't we _not_ supposed to destroy stuff?" Happy inquired.

"I hope I don't get blamed for this." Lucy whimpered.

_TIMESKIP_

We abandoned Everlue's estate quite quickly for a small group such as ourselves, and we returned to Kaby. Lucy offered Kaby the book. "But I requested this book be destroyed." Kaby reminded us, reluctantly taking the book back. "Why on earth are you handing it back to me completely unscathed?"

"If you wanna burn it, I'd rather you do it yourself." Lucy said.

"I most certainly will burn this trash. I never wanted to see it again."

"I completely understand why you feel the way you do about this book, Kaby. You wanna protect your fathers legacy, because you're actually Zaleon's son, aren't you?" There was a pause.

"Yes, that's true."

"Have you read it yourself?"

"No, I...could never bring myself to do it. My father told me it was garbage."

"You we're just gonna burn it?" Natsu questioned.

"I was." Natsu raced forward and grabbed Kaby by the collar,

"Without bothering to see what's inside!" I stepped forward, grabbing Natsu's ear, "It's the last book that your dad wrote, right! Some of us would kill for that kind of memory!" I pulled Natsu back from Kaby,

"Natsu." I hissed, "Lay off the guy. The relationship you had your father was completely different than he had with his, heck, my own father was worse. Just shut up and let the man explain."

"Please. That book caused my family great heartache and shame." Kaby explained. Kaby then went to tell the story about how Kemu returned home after three years and chopped off his hand with no explanation.

"Well, that's morbid." I muttered.

"Not long after that, my father passed away. However, the anger and betrayal I felt towards him lived on. But as the years passed by me, that anger slowly turned into remorse. And now...it's too late for me to ask for his forgiveness. So I decided to make amends by destroying the final work that caused him so much unhappiness. This is the only way...the only way to preserve his legacy." Kaby lit a match, "I'm sure this is what he'd want."

"No, you're wrong." Lucy argued. The match then went out and the book in Kaby's hands started to shine. "Kaby, look! A spell has been cast on this book. It's the work of Kemu Zaleon, or should I say, Zekua Melon."

"A spell? Dear Kaby…"

"That's right. This book is his letter to you, disguised by a spell that rearranged all of the letters of the words so no one else could read it." The book then suddenly opened, letters swirling around the room in a beautiful swirl. "He didn't stop writing because he was ashamed, he'd stop because he had finished his masterpiece! A novel containing everything he wanted to say to his beloved son. And when you read it the way he intended it, it's easily his best work ever." The letters returned to the book and it closed, resting back in Kaby's hands. "And now that the spell's been broken, you can read it for yourself."

"Thank you Father." Kaby muttered, holding the book to his chest as he knelt on the floor. "I swear that I will never let any harm come to this book."

"It was an honour to see you be united with your book, Mr Melon." I said, stepping forward and bowing, "And I apologise, but we are unable to accept the reward you had so generously offered to us when this job started."

"Huh!" Lucy exclaimed.

"We were supposed to destroy it." Natsu started to explain, "We didn't finish the job."

"Even so, let me do something." Kaby insisted.

"Yeah, it's not our fault he decided not to burn the book after we got it back for him." Lucy said.

"Lucy, don't be so greedy!" Happy said, "You're totally ruining what was was a touching moment!" Natsu started to walk away.

"I need the cash!" I straightened looking Kaby straight in the eyes.

"Again, thank you for the offer, but we don't wish to take the money." I said to him. I then turned, folding my hands and letting them rest on the skirts of my dress as I followed Natsu.

"Uh, yes we _do_ want the money!" Lucy exclaimed, darting towards me, "I need to pay rent!"

"I think it's time we all go home." Natsu suggested. "That means you too Mister Melon, go back home." I stopped in my tracks, lifting my nose to the air and taking a sniff. I hummed before following Natsu out the door.

_TIMESKIP_

Lucy trailed behind the group as we made our way back to Magnolia. After riding a carriage towards Shirotsume, and then another one to Everlue's mansion and back, Natsu was over the whole 'let's get motion sick to get places quicker' so we decided to walk, not that I'm complaining, I'd rather walk then puke my guts out. "Who in their right minds would turn down two-million jewel!" Lucy complained.

"If we had taken the money it wouldn't have looked good." Natsu explained. "You gotta think about Fairy Tail's reputation."

"Aye." Happy agreed.

"But we made him happy, right?" Lucy argued. "We got the job done and now we're walking home? And then to find out they're not even wealthy? They were just renting that house so everyone would _think_ they were rich. It's not like it matters, we would have taken the job either way."

"I don't know about you…"

"Of course I would have!"

"Sure greedy." The four of us soon set up camp. Natsu had made the flame and was cooking the food we had managed to grab. I pulled out a book from my bag and opened it, picking up where I left off and reading via the firelight.

"By the way, the house, how did you know it wasn't really theirs?" Lucy asked.

"I didn't realise until Natsu pointed it out, but it just smelt like it wasn't theirs." I explained, turning a page. I then tapped my nose, "The nose, nose."

"I couldn't tell that, my nose isn't as good as yours. But, I was still lost in the clouds from reading that book."

"I've got you figured out." Natsu stated. "All those papers I found on the desk at your place, you're writing a novel, are you?"

"Oh, so that's why she's such a bookworm!" Happy realised.

"Promise you won't tell anyone about that, ok?" Lucy pleaded.

"Why not?"

"Because I'm a horrible writer and if anyone read my stuff I'll die of embarrassment!"

"Don't worry, no one's gonna read it." Natsu said.

"Yeah, that doesn't make me feel any better."

"When the book is finished, it'll be a bestseller, I can tell." I told her, giving Lucy a small smile as I glanced up from my book. Lucy saw the smile and her cheeks flushed.

_TIMESKIP_

The next morning, we were all trudging through the forest to return to Magnolia. We were walking through a swamp by the looks of it. Natsu and I were wading through the water, Happy on Natsu's head. Lucy, however, was being charted around inside her clock, Horologium. "'I don't know about this guys, are you sure we're going the right way?' She asks." Horologium repeated.

"Happy say's this is the way home so this is the way we're going, is what I answer." Natsu stated.

"Have some faith, I'm a cat I have a great sense of smell." Happy declared, "My nose will lead us home."

"'It's _dogs_ that have great noses. And what does _smell_ have to do with direction?' She asks quite haughtily." Horologium said.

"Why don't you do your own walking for a while." Natsu suggested as we left the swamp.

"'Because I'm tired' She groanes exhaustedly."

"Oh, brother." Suddenly, the bushes rustled and Natsu threw his pack off, leaping at the green. "Who's there!"

"'Do you always have to fight?' She inquires woridly." Natsu and whoever was behind the bush continued to fight until they jumped up, revealing Gray in his boxers. "'What is he doing in his underwear?' The Lady questions."

"Trying to find a bathroom." Gray stated.

"Why would you strip down _before_ you found one?" Natsu asked, "And who the heck ever heard of a bathroom in the middle of the forest?"

"I wanted some privacy, I didn't expect an idiot to barge in."

"They're so childish!" Lucy complained. I guess Horologium left. "So you two are on your way back from a job?" Lucy asked Gray. As Happy tried to fish, the humans sat in a circle, talking.

"Yeah, there's a shortcut through these woods that'll get you back to town in no time." Gray explained.

"See, I told you so." Happy gloated.

"Yeah, well if your nose is so great then how come you didn't know Gray was right in front of us, smart guy?" Lucy questioned.

"There's some things you don't wanna smell."

"What'd you say?" Gray asked.

"Surprisingly, I can agree with the Cat on something." I commented, "Whenever my Father went to the bathroom, I made him promise to fly somewhere else to relive himself."

"I agree with Happy." Natsu stated, "So go on home and we'll smell you later." Gray stood.

"Fine, I will." He said, "And unless you want trouble you should too."

"Why do you say that?" Lucy questioned.

"'Cause Erza's due back any time now.".

"_The_ Erza? Woah."

"Yeah, she's the second most powerful woman in all of Fairy Tail." Happy said through a mouthful of fish.

"I can't wait to meet her! But you know I've never seen a picture of her in Sorcerer Weekly or anything, what's she like?"

"Scary." Everyone except I chorused.

"Wild animal." Gray suggested,

"A vile beast." Natsu added.

"More like a full-on monster!" Happy corrected.

"She's like the size of a house." Gray said.

"She's not _that_ big, you guys."

"She's big enough for me." Natsu stated.

"One thing we can all agree on is she is definitely that scary." Gray said, "Well, maybe a little scarier."

"She's so scary and huge she can take out a mountain with a single kick." Natsu revealed.

"What? I guarantee you Erza could take down at least three mountains with a single kick."

"You don't need to exaggerate like that Gray it's more like two." Happy interrupted.

"You know guys, even if she is able to kick down a single mountain, it's still scary." Lucy admitted.

"I honestly have no clue what your talking about." I sighed, standing alongside Gray, "She's not scary."

"Like I said, we should get back." Gray stated.

"Crap, let's get movin'!" Natsu exclaimed. Suddenly, there was an explosion of rocks and Natsu, Gray, Lucy and I sunk into the earth.

"What now?" Gray groaned.

"Happy!" Natsy shouted with a face full of dirt.

"Help...me…" Happy groaned from a little bit away. The four of us managed to climb out of the sand we were trapped in. We looked down the hill we were and saw Happy tied to a spit-roast with a group of mages...and what appeared to be a large chicken, surrounding them. I snarled, my eyes narrowing at what I saw. Happy was family, and no one hurts Family.

"That's our friend you're tryna roast buddy." Natsu stated. "Sorry, but you guys are gonna have to make other plans for dinner."

"You're all Wizards, aren't you?" Gray questioned, "What guild are you with?"

"I'm not telling." The goblin-like person said. "Get 'em!"

"Let's go!" I ordered, jumping down from my spot. I dodged the other Mages, next to the large chicken. "Stay away from him!" I roared, punching him across the field and away from Lucy and Happy. I dodged out of the way as Gray flew past, his clothes falling off. Pretty soon, the entire group was taken out and tied to a tree.

"Don't you think you might have gone overboard Natsu?" Gray questioned, only in his boxers.

"So what if I did?" Natsu questioned, "I got the job done right?"

"Grow up already, you're an embarrassment to the guild!"

"What! Shut up!"

"_You_ shut up!"

"L-Lullaby." The goblin-like mage grunted. "Is…" Suddenly, something knocked us off our feet. What seemed like a hand made out of shadows grabbed the tree we had tied the mages to and pulled it into the ground.

"What was that?" Lucy asked.

"_Who_ was that?" Natsu added.

"Whoever it could have been they were lightning fast." I stated. I sniffed the air, "And, they're gone. Their scent is still in the air, lingering, but as if they're long gone."

"But...what could this mean?" Natsu wondered.

"Lullaby…" Lucy muttered.


	5. The Wizard in Armour

I watched silently as Natsu and Happy amble up to the table I was sitting at and plop themselves next to me. Natsu had his chin flat on the table as he grumbled. I was nursing a beer, not paying attention to them. My whole focus was Lucy, who was standing next to us. her scent the only thing I was keeping track of. "I guess we should probably try to find another job." Natsu muttered.

"Aye, we're running out of food money." Happy added, pausing from chowing down on fish to comment.

"If we'd taken that two-million jewel reward, we'd be sitting pretty." Lucy commented. "And I can't let myself forget that rent's gonna be due next week. I guess I'd better find work too…" Lucy walked over to the Request Board. I stood, taking my mug with me and standing next to Lucy at the board. "Finding a magic bracelet...Breaking a spell on a cursed cane...Reading someone's love horoscope...Hunting a Volcano Demon?" Lucy turned to me, "Jeez, I had no idea Wizarding jobs were so varied."

"Yeah." I sighed, "And what happens during those missions is a gamble as well. One time I went on a mission to hunt down a Monster and came back with a bag of rare flower seeds. They lasted throughout winter, surprisingly."

"I didn't know you liked flowers so much." Lucy commented. My cheeks flushed.

"W-Well I need a hobby don't I?" I defended, looking away. "I can't spend all my time fighting Monsters."

"Well, if you find a job, let me know." Mira said, walking towards us. "The Master's away at a conference, so I'm covering for him."

"What kind of conference?" Lucy asked.

"One for Guild Masters. Every once in a while, they all get together to talk about the state of things. It's like the Magic Council...but not…" Mira turned to a man behind her, "Excuse me Reedus, could I borrow a Light Pen?"

"_Oui_." Reedus Jonah, our resident artist, responded. He handed Mira the item she wanted. Mira then whipped up a diagram. At the top was the Government, then directly under that was Era, the headquarters for the Magic Council. Then, three lines from Era which were the Local Guild Master's Leagues. Then, under those were individual guilds.

"The Council, Era, is the most powerful organisation in the Magical World." Mira started to explain, "It's only one step below the government. It has ten members, and it's their job to uphold all magical rules and regulations. And if a Wizard breaks Magical Law, they would be tried by the Council. Then, there's the different Guild Master Leagues which are local groups who work together. Then the Individual Masters. It's their job to pass on the decrees of the Council. They also communicate with other Guild Masters on a regular basis. I guess you could say they're the glue that holds all of us together. Which is a pretty stressful job."

"Wow, I never realised that all the different Magical Guilds were interconnected like that." Lucy said.

"Cooperation between Guilds is really important. If there wasn't any the entire system would fall apart."

"And then the guys in black would show up." Natsu said scarily, slipping up beside us. After Lucy's scared shriek, and a heated glare from me, Natsu dropped the act. "That was almost too easy!" Natsu laughed.

"You trying to _scare_ me to death?" Lucy questioned.

"But seriously, the guys Natsu's talking about exist." Mira said. I extended my hand to her, and Mira placed the Light Pen in my hand. I took it and drew a separate circle from the diagram. My somewhat scratchy letters much different to Mira's more printed writing. I wrote the words 'Dark Guild' into it.

"Dark Guilds are considered the black stains of the Magical Guild Society." I explained, indicating my bubble with the light pen, "A good portion of them are closely involved with Magical Crimes. They've chosen not to join any of the leagues, so they're not bound by the rules of the Magic Council."

"Woah…" Lucy muttered.

"Would you just go and pick us a job already?" Natsu asked.

"You have got to be kidding me." Lucy turned to Natsu, "What makes you think I'd do that?"

"Well, we are a team now, are we?"

"Yeah, and we picked a job last time!" Happy added. "It's _your_ turn to pick. So get to it!"

"Just forget it cat." Lucy stated, crossing her arms, "As far as I'm concerned, our 'team' has been disbanded. And besides, you guys didn't actually want me, you just needed Yami and I last time because we're blonde."

"Don't be ridiculous." Natsu scoffed, "That's not the only reason we chose you. We picked you because you're so nice!" Lucy gave the pink-haired boy a look of distrust.

"I was the one to request you be on the team." I said, looking at Lucy, "I knew you'd be a great fit for our team, and you are."

"Hey Lucy!" Gray called from a table a little bit away, "I wouldn't stay with those losers if I were you. You'll get plenty of offers from other teams."

"Your clothes Gray." Cana muttered.

"Ah!" Gray exclaimed, looking down at his almost naked body.

"Jerk." Natsu stated.

"Did you just call me a jerk Dragon Boy?"

"And what if I did? What are you gonna do about it?"

"You mouth breather!"

"At least I'm not a coward!"

"You're a spineless wimp!"

"Looks like they're at it again." Happy commented.

"Why don't you join the team of love with me Lucy?" Loke asked, sliding up to Lucy. "Later tonight, just the two of us? You're just so stunningly gorgeous. I have to keep my shades on when I look at you, or I'll be blinded by your dazzling beauty." The mug in my hand turned to splinters, and luckily there wasn't much beer left so I didn't lose much money on that.

"Girls really fall for this?" Lucy wondered.

"You're not a Celestial Wizard, are you?" Loke exclaimed, backing away.

"Yeah, she's got cows and crabs and stuff." Happy told the glasses-wearing man with a mouthful of fish.

"Oh, curse you fate! Why must you toy with me so!" Loke wailed. He then ran off, still calling back to Lucy. "I'm sorry, but you and I can't be together my dear!"

"What got into him all of a sudden?" Lucy wondered.

"No one really knows." I told her, "But word is he used to date that Celestial Wizard, Karen Lilica, from Blue Pegasus. And we all know how _that_ turned out." Suddenly, Lucy was knocked over by a flying Natsu.

"Would the two of you knock it off already." Lucy groaned.

"Natsu started it, I'm just following through." Gray commented.

"Put you clothes on you stripper." I snapped, yanking Natsu off Lucy and throwing him at Gray.

"You were the one who was provoking me, you dirty slimeball." Natsu stated.

"Oh yeah and what exactly did I do to provoke you, you fire clown?" Gray retorted.

"You pervy flasher!"

"Pink haired punk!"

"Lame insults guys." Lucy commented.

"They start to run out." Happy told her. The entire guild started to laugh. I even cracked a small smile but it soon fell when I smelt the familiar scent of iron and strawberries. My suspicions were confirmed when Loke burst through the Guild doors again. Everyone turned to him. His petrified look spoke volumes, and the entire guild went quiet.

"I've got bad news!" He shouted. "It's Erza! She's on her way here!" Everyone let out petrified screams.

"Wow, just mention Erza and the whole place freaks out." Lucy said.

"Well, she is the second strongest female Wizard we've got in Fairy Tail, and more than a bit intimidating." Mira informed her. Heavy, clanking ootsteps were heard approaching the Guild, the silence of the members making it echo loudly.

"That's gotta be her." Laki muttered.

"Those sound like her foosteps." Wakaba added.

"Even the air's gotten completely still." Macao commented.

"Jeez, with these reactions you'd think she was some demon or something." Lucy said. "I'm so scared!"

"She's not that scary." I told her, crossing my arms as I stepped up next to her. "But I'll talk to her, I'll make sure she doesn't harass you." Pretty soon, Erza did appear. She was wearing a set of Heart Kreuz armour, designed specifically for her. Under the cross, was the Fairy Tail Guild mark. She also had two gloves made of the same material and shoulder pieces. She also wore a blue skirt and brown, knee-high boots. Erza slammed down a large tusk of the beast I assume she was tasked to slay.

"I have returned." Erza declared. "Where is Master Makarov?"

"Welcome back Erza." Mira said, "The Master's at a conference right now."

"I see…"

"So um...what's that humongous thing you got there?" A member asked wearily.

"It's the horn of a monster that I defeated. The locals were so thankful they decorated it and gave it to me as a souvenir. Do you have a problem with it?"

"No! Not at all!"

"I bet she's heard about what happened at Mount Hakabe." Cana muttered through her barrel of beer.

"You think so?" Macao replied in the same tone, "Aw man, I'm a gonner."

"She's not like anything like I imagined." Lucy commented to me.

"Listen up!" Erza shouted, getting everyone's attention. "While I was on the road, I heard a few things. Word is Fairy Tail is causing nothing but trouble as of late. Master Makarov may not care, but I most certainly do. Caa, you need to start controlling your drinking. Vijeeter, please take the dancing outside. Wakaba, get rid of that filthy habit. Nab, I suspected I would find you dawdling in front of the request board. Just pick a job! Macao…" Erza turned her sights on the Fire Mage.

"Please just say something!" Macao pleaded when Erza didn't comment.

"I don't even know where to begin with you. You cause so much trouble. I've almost given up."

"She's really tearing into everyone." Lucy whispered to me. "It's like she's taking over!"

"I've learned to just roll with it." I told her, "What Erza wants with the guild, she gets."

"Even if she is kind of bossy she's still saner than anyone else here. I don't understand why everyone's so afraid of her."

"Are Natsu, Gray and Yami here?" Erza asked.

"Yeah, we're here." I said, stepping forward. I turned to my side, and let out a heavy sigh when I saw Natsu and Gray. The two of them were sweating bullets, their arms around each other.

"Oh...hey there Erza." Gray said shakily. "We're just hanging out like good friends tend to do."

"Aye!" Natsu agreed.

"Why is Natsu talking like Happy!" Lucy cried.

"That's great. I'm quite pleased to see the two of you getting along so well." Erza said with a definitive nod, "However, it's only natural for even the best of friends to lock horns every now and again."

"I don't know if we're the best of friends…" Gray trailed off.

"Aye…" Natsu muttered.

"What's gotten into Natsu?" Lucy questioned,

"He's scared." Mira explained. She picked up the Light Pen from the counter and drew an image of Erza beating the crap out of Natsu. "A few years ago, he challenged Erza to a fight and she beat him up pretty bad."

"That was a stupid thing to do."

"After that she found Gray walking around naked, so she decided to beat him up to." Macao added.

"And let's not forget, she also beat up Loke for trying to hit on her." Cana commented. "He totally deserved it though."

"I can't say I blame her." Lucy said.

"Natsu, Gray, Yami, I need you to do me a favour." I turned to Erza, waiting to hear what she had to say. "While travelling, I overheard something that has me worried. Normally I would consult with the Master before acting, but he's not here and this is a matter of utmost urgency. The three of you are the strongest Wizards here. I could really use your help." I lifted an eyebrow in curiosity.

"Did that just happen?" Someone asked.

"Erza asked them from help?" Another questioned,

"Definitely a first." Someone muttered.

"Especially with Yami, she rarely joins others on missions."

"We'll meet at the train station tomorrow morning." Erza stated. _Seriously…_ I thought, my eyebrows pinching together, _Me, Natsu and Gray...Erza must either be out of her mind or desperate._ I crossed my arms. _What could cause her to actually ask for help_,

I looked over to Minnie who was watching me. She gave me a nod, and I returned it. This was surely going to be interesting.

_TIMESKIP_

I sat in between Lucy and Happy, bored as I watched Natsu and Gray fight. "I hate this!" Natsu groaned. "Teaming up with you is the worst idea ever!"

"Yeah, tell me about it. Erza made a huge mistake asking a looser like you to come along." Gray retorted.

"Fine then! Why don't you just take care of it yourself, I don't wanna go anyway!"

"Sounds like a plan to me then I'll get to watch her beat you senseless."

"Let's just sit here and pretend we don't know them." Lucy muttered.

"I've been meaning to ask Lucy, is there any particular reason you came with us today?" I asked her, crossing one of my legs over the other. My bag was resting at my feet, a black duffle bag with all my essentials. "This mission might be dangerous."

"Mira asked me to tag along. She asked me to keep an eye on Natsu and Gray to make sure they don't fight."

"You aren't doing a very good job." Happy commented.

"They're hopeless. And don't worry about this mission being dangerous." Lucy turned to me, "You'll protect me, won't you? Just like you did with Everlue." My cheeks turned red.

"Yeah...I'll always protect you Lucy." I muttered.

"Sorry I'm late, have you been waiting long?" A familiar voice asked. Erza had arrived, pulling along her massive cart of supplies.

"No, not really." Lucy said.

"Woah! Look at that luggage!" Happy exclaimed.

"All those belong to _you_?!" Lucy cried.

"It's time to go good buddy!" Gray said in fake-cheery voice.

"Aye!" Natsu agreed.

"Listen, one happy's enough." Lucy groaned.

"Good, I really love to see the two of you getting along." Erza commented. "And what was your name?" Erza turned to Lucy and I as we approached. I held my duffle bag by the shorter straps and had the bag itself slung over my shoulder. "I believe I saw you at the guild yesterday."

"My name's Lucy, and I just joined Fairy Tail." The other blonde explained. "Mira asked me to come along with you guys so I could learn a thing or two. I hope that's ok with you."

"The more the merrier. I'm Erza. Wait you're the girl I heard about. I was told you defeated a mercenary gorilla with only your pinkie finger. It'll be great to have a wizard like you on board, thanks for your help."

"Oh no, it's my pleasure." Lucy said.

"Hey Erza." Natsu called, "I'll come with you but only under one condition."

"Shut up!" Gray hissed.

"Oh? Well then let's hear it." Erza said.

"Ok. I want a rematch when we get back to Fairy Tail." Natsu declared. I sighed, my hand coming into contact with my forehead.

"You got some kind of death wish?" Gray asked.

"I'm a lot stronger than I was last time. This time it'll be way different. 'Cause I'm gonna beat you."

"Yes, I can tell you've improved." Erza commented. "As to whether or not you can beat me, I suppose we'll have to see. I accept your challenge."

"Oh yeah, I'm fired up!" Natsu shouted, flames erupting from his mouth. In a very short time, we were on the train on the way to where Erza needed us to go. However, due to Motion Sickness, Natsu was practically blue as he sat on the seat next to me. I had to lean away from him, scooching closer to Gray because I know what would happen if Natsu couldn't handle it. Thank the heavens that the train booths were quite large. Natsu, Gray and I sat on one side, while Happy, Lucy and Erza sat on the other, Lucy's spirit Plue was sititng in her lap.

"I swear, you're totally pathetic Natsu." Gray commented, "One minute you're picking a fight, and the next you're like this."

"It's gotta be tough on him getting from place to place." Lucy said. "Hey, Yami, you're a Dragon Slayer too, why don't you get motion sick?" I looked down, crossing my arms.

"My Father hated weakness." I started, "He berated me every time we travelled by carriage or boat, so I taught myself to use the Ethernano I consumed in the air to settle my stomach."

"Oh…"

"Don't worry, he'll be fine." Erza assured. "Natsu, come here and sit with me." Lucy and Natsu switched places. "Now just relax." Erza said as Natsu leant on her shoulder.

"Aye." Natsu groaned. Erza then punched Natsu in the gut and knocking him out.

"There, that should make the trip a little easier on him."

"Erza, I think it's about time you started filling us in." Gray commented, "I mean, what kind of mission are we going on here?"

"Of course. I have reason to believe the Dark Guild Eisenwald is planning something big. I'm not sure what exactly, but it has to do with a magic item called Lullaby." Lucy and I exchanged looks.

"Lullaby, you're sure that's what they were talking about?" I repeated, looking directly at Erza.

"Wait, that thing from before?" Lucy wondered.

"What do you mean 'from before'?" Erza questioned.

"The other day, when we were all coming back from a job, a group of Wizards tried to eat Happy, they mentioned Lullaby before something pulled them into the ground and disappeared." I explained.

"I see, so you've run into the Eisenwald Guild before."

"Well, I'm not positive they were part of Eisenwald." Gray said. "But they did mention Lullaby."

"It sounds like they were members who dropped out of the guild and gone into hiding. Perhaps they wanted no part of whatever it is that's coming."

"So this thing is so bad it even scares Dark Wizards?"

"I'm only hypothesising. But whoever you saw dragging off Happy's kidnappers that day must have been from Eisenwald. It's obvious that they didn't want their plans getting out."

"What do you think they're gonna try?" Lucy wondered.

"Let me start from the beginning." Erza said. "Just the other day, I was heading home after completing a job. I stopped by a pub in Onibas that I knew was a gathering spot for local Wizards." Erza then went onto explain that she overheard a group of wizards talking about Lullaby, and someone named Kage was to return to Eisenwald with it in three days.

"Lullaby?" Lucy muttered again. "That's like a song you sing kids to sleep."

"Yes, and the fact that it had been sealed away means that it must be very powerful magic."

"You sure the guys you saw at the Pub were with Eisenwald?" Gray checked.

"Yes. I can't believe I was such a fool that day. I didn't recognise his name. Erigor."

"He's the best Wizard at Eisenwald, isn't he?" I wondered. Erza nodded.

"What's his deal?" Lucy asked me.

"Erigor is like the angel of death. He only accepts assassination jobs. His brutal murders have gained him the moniker of 'Erigor the Reaper'."

"He kills for money?!"

"The Council outlawed assassination requests years ago. However, Eisenwald believed that money was more important than the Council's rules and regulations. So, their Wizard Leauge kicked them out six years ago, and as a result, they were ostracised from the greater Wizarding Community. However, that didn't stop them one bit. They've constantly disobeyed orders and they're still active.:

"Ok, I should be getting back home now."

"Lucy's slimy all of a sudden." Happy commented.

"It's sweat!"

"How could I have been so careless!" Erza demanded, slamming her fist so hard into Natsu's head I thought he was gonna get a concussion. "If only I had recognised Erigor's name that day, I could have pulverised them. I could have forced them to reveal their scheme to me."

"So if I got this, Eisenwald's planning to do something with this Lullaby, and you wanna stop them. Because after what you overheard you're sure that it's gonna be something bad."

"That's correct. And I'm not foolish enough to believe that I can take on an entire Magical Guild by myself. That's why I asked for Natsu's help, as well as both of yours." Gray and I shared a look. "We're storming the Eisenwald guild."

"Sounds like fun to me."

"Just another day in Fairy Tail." I added.

"I shouldn't have come along!" Lucy whimpered. Soon after, we all managed to purchase lunch, and much to my dismay, Lucy used her womanly charms to get us a discount. "If you don't mind, what kind of Magic do you practice Erza?" Lucy asked, once we had started eating.

"That's a good question." Erza muttered.

"Erza's magic is really pretty!" Happy complimented. "She makes her enemies bleed a lot."

"I don't know if I'd call that pretty…" Lucy trailed off.

"Personally I think Gray's magic us much more beautiful than mine." Erza stated.

"Oh, like this?" Gray wondered. He put his fist to his hand, and a cold blast of air emitting from where his skin made contact. When he lifted his fist, a small ice sculpture of the Guild crest rested delicatly in his palm. "I use Ice magic."

"_Now_ I understand why you and Natsu don't get along." Lucy said. "He's fire and you're ice. Talk about not mixing very well."

"That and the fact they almost started a bar fight when Natsu first joined the guild." I added.

_TIMESKIP_

"You think the Eisenwald guys are still gonna be in this town?" Gray asked as we stepped off the train at Onibas Station.

"I have no idea." Erza admitted, "That's what we're here to find out."

"I'm still thinking maybe I should go home." Lucy commented.

"Hold on. Where's Natsu?" Happy questioned. That caused me to pause, turning and watching as the train continued on to the next station.

"We were so busy talking I forgot about him." Erza said. "I am such a fool! Natsu hates all forms of transportation. This is all my fault. I need one of you to come and hit me for my penance." Erza then walked up to one of the emergency stop breaks and pulled the leaver.

"What do you think you're doing lady?" A conductor questioned, "You can't pull the Emergency Lever without permission."

"It's for our comrade, please understand." Erza said.

"Are you kidding me?!"

"Now, I would like you to take our luggage to the hotel."

"Do I look like a bellhop?"

"I'm starting to realise that all of the Wizards in the Fairy Tail Guild are just a little insane." Lucy stated.

"Well, not all of us." Gray argued.

"Say's the man not wearing any clothes." I sighed.

_TIMESKIP_

Erza had acquired us a Magic Mobile and was racing down the train track to get Natsu back. Gray was sitting on the roof, Erza was driving, Lucy was leaning out one of the windows, Happy was safe sitting inside the main part of it. I was leaning out the opposite window, keeping close to the cabin to stay on. "Natsu!" Lucy shouted as we neared the train. Coincidently, Natsu flew out of the cart, whacking Gray off the Magic Mobil and causing them to crash. Erza parked and we all exited the vehicle and stood together.

"That hurt you idiot!" Gray stated.

"Shut up you icy freak, how come you guys left me on the train!" Natsu retorted.

"I'm just thankful you weren't badly injured." Erza said. "I apologise Natsu." Erza grabbed the pink-haired boys head and slammed it onto her chestplate.

"It's ok." Erza released him. "Well, I'm shaken up pretty bad. I got attacked by a weirdo on the train."

"Are you serious?" Lucy asked,

"I think it's the dude that dragged away the guys who were gonna eat Happy. Said he was with Eisenwald." Natsu commented offhandedly.

"You fool!" Erza declared, slapping Natsu across the face with a gloveless hand. "That's _exactly_ who we're chasing after on this mission! Why did you let him get away!"

"What the…? This is the first I heard about it!"

"I explained everything on the train! You should listen when people talk to you!"

"She already forgot that she knocked him out, didn't she?" Lucy questioned, "This woman is unbelievable."

"Yep." Gray agreed.

"That's Erza for you." Happy chirped. Erza then sat in the driver's seat of the Magic Mobile again, clipping the SE port onto her wrist.

"So he was on the same train we were on." Erza wondered, "Let's find him."

"So, what did this guy look like Natsu?" I asked, crossing my arms.

"He didn't look like someone from a Dark Guild." Natsu admitted. "But he did have this strange flute thing. It looked like a skull, except it had three eyes!"

"A three-eyed skull?" Lucy repeated.

"That's creepy." Gray muttered. I noticed Lucy who seemed to have an inquisitive look on her face.

"Luce, everything alright?" I asked her, worried.

"It's just...I've heard about that flute before." Lucy told us, "Lullaby, the Cursed Song. It's Death Magic."

"What?" Erza whispered.

"Cursed Song?" Gray repeated. "Like an incantation?"

"I've only read about them in books before, but...there are some deadly spells out there that are forbidden to be used by Wizards."

"That's right." Erza agreed, "There are Cursed Black Magic Spells that will kill the person they're used on."

"Well, if I'm right, Lullaby is even worse." At that, everyone piled back into the Magic Mobile. Everyone was in the same spots as last time, with Natsu leaning against the window opposite to me, trying not to puke.

"Hey! Slow down Erza!" Gray shouted, "You're using too much of your power driving this thing!"

"I have no choice but to press onward!" Erza replied, "We're running out of time! If Erigor gets his hands on this Death Magic, trust me, lives will be lost."


	6. Fairies In The Wind

We were stopped one the cliffs on top of Kunugi Station. I was leaning out of the side of the Magic Mobile, listening to the conversation below. "Some guy with a scythe and a bunch of his lackeys took over the train!" Someone complained.

"I think I know who they are." Someone added, "They're the Dark Guild punks who've been hanging around town the past few weeks."

"I can understand cars and boats, but why would they want to hijack a train?" Lucy wondered.

"It doesn't seem like it'd be a very good choice for getaways." Happy stated.

"Happy's right, this train can only follow the tracks, they're fast though." I spoke up. "If that's the case we should probably follow the line up to Oshibana station. "If this is where they hijacked the train then what their planing is probably further up the line.

"Then I guess it's up to us to figure out where those Eisenwald guys are going in such a big hurry and why." Gray commented.

"You're naked Gray!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Am I?"

"From what I can hear the military is trying to keep everything calm down there." I commented, closing my arms. "It won't be long before Eisenwald is caught."

"I hope that's the case Yami." Erza sighed before she started to drive again. She picked up speed quite quicky, and I kept my head out the window to keep an eye on things.

"Stop! Erza!" Gray shouted from the roof, "You're going way too fast! You're gonna overload the SE Plug!"

"There's no telling how many innocent people could die if Lullaby's song is played." Erza called over the wind, "I can't slow down! We have to stop Eisenwald before it's too late!"

"But at this rate, your gonna use up all your magic before we even start fighting!"

"Well, then I'll just have to rely on hand-to-hand combat. Besides I've you, Natsu and Yami as back up."

"I feel like there was something important I was supposed to tell you Lucy." Happy commented, crossing his arms. I slid back into the seat, comforted that Gray had a handle on things.

"Oh really?" Lucy wondered, "What was it?"

"I don't remember. It was just something about something I was supposed to tell you. Um...you're…"

"Totaly sick for real." Natsu groaned, his face flat on the floor of the Magic Mobole.

"That's it!"

"Are you kidding me!" Lucy exclaimed. Natsu then managed to crawl forward and hang his front half out the window. "Careful Natsu! You're gonna fall out!"

"That's what I'm aiming for…" Natsu told her.

"Don't worry about him, he's got a thick skull." I said. "He'll be fine if he falls out."

"Um...so if it wasn't 'Lucy's totally sick', then what the heck was it?" Happy wondered, his paw on his chin as he tried to determine what he was trying to tell Lucy still. "Something weird like that. Lucy's weird...hungry...fishy...I like fish. Wait. Weird, weird...weird…" I sighed, grabbing Happy by the tail and sticking him out the window. "AH! YAMI! DON'T!" Happy screamed.

"Do you promise not to make fun of Lucy?" I asked, keeping my eyes forward.

"Yes! I promise! Now put me back inside!" I casually tossed Happy into the seat opposite me. We reached Oshibana soon and we all piled out of the Magic Mobile, with Lucy hauling an unconscious Natsu out. We approached the station.

"Please stand back!" An officer called, "The station is currently closed due to a train derailment."

"Excuse me, what's going on?" Erza asked the officer.

"Why should I tell you lady?" The man questioned. Erza knocked him out.

"What's going on?" Erza moved over to the next man. When he didn't respond, Erza headbutted him.

"Seems like her questioning methods a little counterproductive." Lucy stated.

"I've learnt to just roll with it." I told her with a shrug.

"Erza's got her own way of getting things done." Gray commented.

"Where are your clothes?!" Lucy shouted.

"The Eisenwald Guild's inside." Erza declared, among a group of unconscious officers. "Let's go."

"So I gotta drag this one around?" When Gray had put his clothes back on, we raced into the station.

"A small Army unit stormed in earlier, but they've yet to return." Erza reported. "I'm guessing that they've been caught in battle with the Eisenwald forces." We came across the Army soon after, they were strewn across the stairs, all unconscious.

"They've been completely wiped out!" Happy cried.

"A guild full of experienced Wizards against the Magicless Army, the odds were stacked against them from the start." I said. "There doesn't seem to be many people here anyway." We passed the stairs and we came across the main area of the station.

"Welcome!" A voice called from above. "Step into our parlour, Fairy Tail Flies!" I grit my teeth, my eyes scanning over the Eisenwald mages scattered around the station. Above everyone was a shirtless man with white hair wielding an enormous scythe.

"Woah...there's so many of them." Lucy whimpered.

"You fiend!" Erza declared, glaring up at the man with the scythe. "I take it you're Erigor?" Lucy then dropped Natsu and tried to wake him up.

"Come on Natsu! We need your help!"

"Good luck." Happy sighed, "Between the train, Magic Mobile and you're shaking, it's a Motion Sickness triple combo!"

"I am not a vehicle!"

"Hey, you." A black-haired male growled, "It's your fault I git in trouble with Erigor. Get up."

"I know that voice." Natsu whispered.

"We're not threatened by any of you!" Erza stated. "Tell me what you're planning to do with Lullaby!"

"Oh, you haven't heard yet?" Erigor flew off the train he was sitting on and into the air. "What do all Train Stations have?"

"He flew!" Lucy gasped.

"It's Wind Magic!" Happy realised as Erigor landed on one of the many speaker systems around the room.

"You're gonna broadcast Lullaby's song!" I shouted, "Do you know how many people will die?"

"Thousands of nosy onlookers have flocked to this station to get a glimpse of the action." Erigor stated, "Who knows? If I raise the volume enough, I may be able to extinguish the entire city with my melody of death."

"What reason do you have to commit such a heinous crime against the innocent people of this town?" Erza demanded.

"This a cleansing of all those fools out there who fail to appreciate the rights they hold so dear. Who remain willfully ignorant to the plight of those who've had their rights stripped away. They've committed the sin of turning a blind eye to the world's injustice. Therefore, the reaper has come to punish them."

"But killing them isn't gonna help you get your rights back." Lucy reminded the scythe-wielding mage, "It's only gonna make it worse! That's the whole reason you were kicked out of the Wizard Leauge in the first place!"

"At this point, we've given up trying to regain our rights, we want power! Then we will be able to wash away the sins of the past and take control of what happens in the future."

"You guys are completely insane!"

"We're rolling in a new age of darkness." The man from before stated, kneeling. "'Course, by the time it gets here, you Flies will be long gone." The ground underneath him shone purple with Magic. Shadow fists shot towards Lucy, however, Natsu jumped up and punched them, setting them alight. I had slid in front of Lucy protectively. "You again?"

"Eisenwald dude." Natsu greeted, "I knew I recognised that voice."

"You're back to normal!" Lucy cheered.

"Oh, wow. Looks like we've got ourselves a party here, huh?"

"No, Natsu, these are the guys we have to fight." Natsu smashed his hand into his fist,

"Hah, like I said, it's a party."

"This is the strongest team Fairy Tail has to offer! You'd better be ready!"

"I leave them to you!" Erigor shouted, flying off the speakers, "Show them the terror of the Dark Guild Eisenwald." Erigor then disappeared.

"Natsu and Gray, go." Erza ordered, "I need you to stop him. If the two of you work together, not even Erigor the Reaper can defeat you. I'm leaving him in your hands." I looked behind us and saw Natsu and Gray butting heads. "What did I say!"

"Aye!" The two chorused before running away.

"They ran off!" An Eisenwald Member shouted,

"They're goin' after Erigor!" Another stated.

"I got it." A man in mummy headgear said, He shot wraps towards a handrail and pulling him onto the balcony, "I, the great Rayule will take them down."

"I'm coming with you." The black-haired man added, "That pink-haired dimwit is gonna pay." A shadow appeared and swallowed him whole.

"We'll catch up with them once we've finished off the rest of the men here, ok?" Erza stated. I cracked my knuckles,

"This is gonna be too easy." I commented with a grin, my canines showing.

"Three girls against an entire Magical Guild?" Lucy wondered.

"Mamma told me not to hit girls, but I can make an exception." Someone commented,

"I'm sorry ladies, you're not gonna be as cute when we're done with you." Another added.

"Let's do this." Erza ordered, sticking a hand out. A red Magical Circle appeared and a sword appeared in her grasp.

"It came out of thin air!" Lucy gasped, "A Magic Sword!"

"I would advise against insulting Fairy Tail again in front of us." I commented, dropping into a fighting stance and letting black inky magic encase my fists. "I will ensure you won't live to see the sunset if you do."

"We're not scared of you!" Someone shouted as the Mages lept towards us.

"Yeah! We've got tons of Magic Swordsman in Eisenwald!" Another added.

"And Caster-Type Wizards are so common we have a lot of them too!" With two swipes, the first wave of Mages fell, their weapons destroyed. I lept into the bulk of the Mages, a black ink-covered foot knocking them down easily. Between my Magic, and Erza Requiping her weapons lightning-fast, we got through the bulk of the mages quickly. Cancer then appeared and took out a handful of mages as well.

"That was impressive." Erza complimented.

"Thanks, but it was no big deal." Lucy replied.

"However, this crab spirit of yours, the way he calls you baby,, I find it quite insulting."

"Erza, there's still a lot of guys here." I commented,

"I thought we took care of most of them. Annoying, but we'll wipe them out." Erza requiped, her everyday armour being replaced by her Heavens Wheel Armour. "Now, dance my swords! Circle Sword!" Erza sent her swords forward and took out most of the remaining enemy Wizards.

"Alright, you're dealing with me now!" Someone shouted, running forward with his fists lit up.

"Don't do it Byard!" A fat man shouted at his friend, "Do you have any idea who those women are?" I smirked, waiting until this Byard person was close, before sinking my fist into his stomach, knocking him out cold. "That one's the Queen of the Fairies! 'Titania' Erza! And that other one is the Fairy's Dragon! 'The Shadow' Yami!" Erza requiped back into her normal armour. "Forget this! I'm out of here!" The fat man cried, running out of the room.

"I would imagine he's going to look for Erigor." Erza stated, turning to Lucy, "You should follow him."

"Who me?" Lucy questioned. Erza glared at the blonde.

"Just do it!"

"Whatever you say!" Lucy shouted as she ran away with Happy flying behind, "I don't want to make you angry!"

"I'm going with her." I said to Erza, turning to her slightly. "Think you'll be alright after that."

"I'll be fine." Erza assured. "Just be safe." I smirked at her.

"It's Eisenwald you have to worry about Titania, I'm gonna be fine." I then turned on my heel and raced after Lucy.


	7. Flame and Wind

My heels clacked against the tiled floor as I raced towards where my nose told me where Lucy was. "Come on." I muttered angrily. I soon came across her and Happy, Lucy was walking idly while Happy flew beside her. "Lucy…" I breathed. I jogged to meet her. "Lucy." I called when I was close. Lucy turned to face me. I placed my hands on her forearms. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm ok." Lucy replied. "Are you gonna join us?" Her voice seemed to take on a hopeful tone. I nodded. And with that, the three of us continued our journey through the seemingly abandoned station. "This is useless! We can't find him anywhere!"

"Aye." Happy agreed.

"Why don't you say we just head back to whew Erza is."

"AAAHHH!" Happy shouted.

"Woah, what's with the crazy reaction?"

"Erza gave you an order to go after the fat man. So you-you have to do what she say's Lucy. Ignoring an order from Erza is never a good idea. She's gonna be super angry with you! And if I have to watch her punish you it may scar me for life!"

"Oh please." Lucy scoffed. She then wrapped her arms around one of mine, her chest pushing into my bicep. My cheeks flushed red as her scent washed over me. "I've got Yami on my side. She's way stronger than Erza, she'll protect me. But, if you think she'll be super mad at me and hurt me if we don't listen to her then we can continue looking."

"The thought of an Erza smackdown scare some sense into you."

"Shut up stupid cat." Lucy and I chorused. We continued looking again. Lucy hadn't let go of my arm, and I wasn't about to say anything against it, I liked it. The building then shook, causing all of us to tense.

"Why is the building shaking like that?" Lucy asked woridly.

"That's probably Natsu." I sighed. "He's always doing stuff like this." I lifted my nose into the air, and took a long whiff. "I've got him, let's go." Sadly, Lucy let go of my arm as the two of us followed my nose to Natsu. We soon came across the others. Erza was shaking a man, demanding he wake up, Gray was telling her to calm down while Natsu glard at a hole in the wall, where the man Lucy was sent to track down as lying unconcious.

"Uhh...bad timing, huh." Lucy muttered.

"Aye." Happy agreed. Our group moved out to the entrance of the station, where a large Wind Barrier stood, encasing the entire station. On the way, we were informed of what Erigor's true plan was.

"What! Erigor wants to use Lullaby on the Guild Masters?" Lucy exclaimed. I grit my teeth. _Gramps..._

"Oh, we have to stop him!" Natsu declared.

"That's easier said than done." Erza informed him, kneeling next to the still unconscious Kage. Before we had left the building, we bandaged Kage up and bought him with us, we weren't gonna let him die. "Erigor cut off our only means of reaching Clover and is heading there by air."

"I'm pretty sure that we could catch up to him on the Magic Mobile." Gray commented. "But, we can't do anything until we figure out how to get on the other side of this barrier."

"How are we gonna do that?" Lucy wondered. I encased my fist in black, inky magic, launcing myself at the Wind Barrier. My first made contact with it, and I was instantly thrown back. I skidded to a stop and glared at the Wind Barrier.

"See, that's what happens if you try to bust through."

"Kage, wake up." Erza pleaded, "You're our only hope right now." I could hear Natsu still trying to break through the Wind Barrier.

"I can't even get close." I muttered angrily, grabbing Natsu's scarf to stop him from trying to hurt himself more. "If I can't do that, I can't eat the Eathernanno that created this."

"Ahh!" Natsu screamed, "We could use your spirits!" I looked up and saw him staring at Lucy, "Back at Everlue's, I was pulled from one place to another through the Spirit World!"

"Well yeah, but Normal People would suffocate to death if they tried that." Lucy told him. "It's hard to breathe in their world. Besides, a Celestial Wizard can only open a gate wherever they are standing. Ok, let me simplify this for you. Even if we _could_ pass through the Spirit World, we would need another Celestial Wizard to open a gate outside the Train Station for us to pass through."

"You're totaly confusing me. Just hurry up and do it!"

"But I told you I can't! Not to mention the very act of a Human entering the Spirit World is a serious breach of contract. I didn't care when Yami did it because it wasn't my key, it was Everlue's."

"Everlue's key…hold on..." Happy muttered. "Ahh!" He exclaimed, causing me to jump. "I just remembered Lucy!"

"Remembered what?" Lucy asked.

"What I was trying to tell you on the way here!"

"On the way here? Oh yeah, when you mean you kept calling me weird?" Happy then pulled out a somewhat familiar golden key from his back. A Celestial Gate Key.

"Look!"

"How'd you get your paws on Virgo's Key?!" Lucy exclaimed. Lucy grabbed Happy's lips and gripped it tight. "Didn't anyone teach you that it's wrong to steal things?"

"But I didn't steal it. Virgo asked me to give it to you." Lucy let go of Happy's lips.

"Come on guys, we're wasting way too much of our time listening to this nonsense."

"Who's Virgo?" Natsu wondered. I thought for a second.

"She's that gorilla-looking maid that worked at Everlue's."

"Apparently her contract with Everlue was broken as soon as he was arrested." Happy explained, still holding the key out to Lucy, "Before we left that day, she came up to me and said she wanted to sign a new contract with you Lucy!"

"Great, I get a big ugly spirit." Lucy groaned. "Anyway, thanks for letting me know, but I'll have to deal with her later. If you didn't realise it, right now we need to find a way out of here."

"But-"

"Shut up!" Lucy started to pull Happy's cheeks. "Why can't you just meow like every other cat!"

"She can be pretty scary, huh?" Gray wondered.

"She must have learned it from Yami." Natsu added.

"I didn't teach her that so don't blame me!" I shouted at the pinkette. Once Lucy had released Happy, he went to go sulk in a corner.

"I'm sorry." Happy sobbed. "I just thought since Virgo can drill holes, maybe she can dig through the ground and get us to the Ither side."

"She can!" Erza gasped.

"Seriously!" Gray added.

"Your right! She can!" Lucy realised. "Your so smart Happy!" Lucy praised, "Why didn't you mention that sooner silly kitty!"

"Someone was pinching my face." Happy stated. Lucy then fell to her knees, bowing at the blue feline.

"My most sincere, humble, heartfelt apologies. I promise I'll make it up to you. Just please let me have the key!"

"Give me some fish and all is forgiven!" Happy then handed the Key to Lucy who took it gratefully. Lucy then turned away from us.

"_I call upon thee in the world of the Celestial Spirits. I beckon you to my side at once, pass through the gate._" Lucy chanted, "Open! Gate of the Maiden! Virgo!" There was a crack in the ground, and a woman sprung forth, landing on her feet in a bowed position. She was wearing a maid's uniform, much like Lucy had been not too long ago, knee-high white socks and black boots, with chains wrapped her wrists, a maid's hat settled in her short pink hair and blue eyes. I blinked. This was not the Virgo we fought at Everlue's Mansion.

"You summoned, Mistress?" Virgo wondered. Even her voice was different, more feminine and soothing. "What can I do for you?" Lucy looked shocked, staring at Virgo with a confused stare.

"Who are you?"

"What's up Burger?" Natsu greeted, stepping towards Virgo, "Man, you look great. You've lost some weight."

"My name's Virgo." The Maid replied. "I apologise for any trouble I might have caused you."

"It's ok." I told her, "You were contracted to Everlue, you had to follow his orders."

"She didn't just lose weight Natsu!" Lucy cried.

"What do you mean?" Gray asked her.

"She's like a totally different person!"

"I'm a very loyal spirit who'll do anything to please her Wizard." Virgo explained. "So I try to take on whatever form I think my Wizard will find most appealing."

"I don't know, I kind of liked it when you were all big and tough-looking." Natsu commented.

"Did you really? Well then…" Virgo was surrounded in a yellow glow for a second before turning into her large self again, "I can switch back if you like." Virgo's voice had deepened once again.

"Don't listen to him!" Lucy ordered, "I'm your Wizard and I like the other form better!" Virgo glowed again before returning to her slimmer self.

"As you wish, Mistress."

"I'm afraid we don't have much time, can we work out the Contract Details later?"

"Of course, whatever you'd like Mistress."

"Do you really have to call me 'mistress'?"

"Would you prefer I called you Queen?"

"No."

"What about Princess?"

"Oh yeah, that's more like it."

"Ok, enough with the nicknames, can you just tell her to make the tunnel and we can get out of here?" I asked.

"Yes, Ma'am." Virgo said, her eyes shining red for a second, "Now." A Magic Circle appeared under her and Virgo started to create a tunnel out of the Train Station.

"Oh wow, look at her go." Gray commented.

"Nicely done Lucy." Erza complimented as she smashed Lucy's head into her chestplate.

"Come on now everyone, let's get out of here." I ordered, eying the Wind Barrier. Out the corner of my eye, I saw Natsu pick up Kage.

"What do you think you're doing?" Gray asked him.

"I know he's one of our enemies, but I'd feel guilty if we just left him here to die." Everyone then crawled through the tunnels. Everyone made it safely out from the Wind Barrier and to the other side. "Looks like we made it out." Gray shouted over the wind. Erigor's Wind Barrier looked like a tornado had encompassed the entire Train Station. Everyone's hair was whipping around all over the place.

"Let's head toward Clover." Erza ordered.

"Woah! This wind is Crazy!" Lucy complained.

"It's no use." A voice groaned. I turned and saw Kage lying on the floor, barley awake, "You'll never be able to catch up to Erigor. You can't stop us. We've won."

"Where's Natsu?" Erza wondered, looking around.

"Happy's gone too!" I added, looking around as well. Those boys...so reckless...but right now they're our only hope. Come on Natsu...you can beat Erigor. We all piled into the Magic Mobile once more, Erza in the driver's seat as we shot off towards Clover.

"So tell me, why are you taking me with you?" Kage asked. I was glaring hardly at him, my eyes shining a dangerous blue.

"Because you obviously need a doctor." Lucy stated. "And since everyone left town, you'll have to see one in Clover. Try and show some gratitude."

"I don't understand. Why are you helping me? We're enemies. Oh wait, I get it, you're taking me hostage so you can try and make a deal with Erigor. Well you can forget it, he could care less about me or any of his men."

"Jeez, lighten up dude."

"If you wanna die, we can make that happen." Gray told him.

"Gray, chill out." I ordered.

"There's a whole lot more to this world than just life and death you know. You shuld try to look for the positive. You and your Eisenwald Pals." The car then went over a nasty bump and the ntire cabin got jostled around. I stuck my head out the side of the window.

"Hey, Erza, what happened? You alright?" I asked.

"It's ok." Erza called back, "Everything's fine now." I stuck my head back into the car.

"I am so sorry." Lucy apologised to Kage.

"Could your butt be any bigger." he complained.

"Sexual harrassment!" The other blonde turned to me, pointing harshly at Kage. "Kill him Yami! He said I had a big butt!" One of my hands snapped out and grabbed Kage's neck, the other sparking dangerously with inky black magic. I glared harshly at the black haited man.

"You better watch what you say." I snarled. "Lucy is under _my_ protection, any harm comes to her, you will suffer a thousand times wose." Kage paled under my gaze, the fearin his eyes clear as day.


	8. The Strongest Team

I sat glaring at Kage with glowing blue eyes, my lips pulled into an angry snarl. Lucy was pressed into my side protectively, while Gray made himself scarce and perched on the top of the vehicle. It wasn't until I heard Natsu's voice again that we stopped. I crawled out of the vehicle, helping Lucy out afterwards. She then hurried to help Erza out of the front seat.

"Hey!" Natsu called, "You guys just missed seeing me beat Erigor!"

"Aye!" Happy cheered.

"I'm proud of you." Erza said as the two of us abled towards the do.

"Are you going to be ok Erza?" Lucy asked, worried.

"Yes, I'm ok, don't worry about me." Erza assured.

"I can't believe you had such a hard time with this guy." Gray commented to Natsu as we approached him. I crossed my arms, eyeing Erigor.

"I never said that!" Natsu retorted, "I took care of him, didn't I?"

"I was kinda worried for a while." Happy admitted.

"Whatever." Gray scoffed, "You look pretty stupid wearing a scarf when you're half-naked."

"Like you have room to talk." Natsu said, "Hey Lucy! Give me your clothes!"

"In your dreams!" The blonde shouted back. Erza chuckled softly. A deathly aura surrounded me and my hair flew upwards. I glared harshly at Nasu.

"What did you say?" I snarled. The pink-haired boy gulped. He looked away and focused on Erza, smart.

"Anyway, well done, Natsu." Erza complimented. "Thanks to you all the Guild Masters will be safe now." Everyone nodded. I looked down the track in the direction of Clover.

"Hey guys, since we're almost to Clover, why don't we pay a visit to the Guild Masters?" I suggested. "We gotta tell them what happened, ask them how we should get rid of Lullaby. We should also let them know that they won't be able to leave until the tracks are repaired."

"Might as well." Happy said. Suddenly, a shadow passed overhead, our Magic Mobile flew above us.

"Kage!" Erza shouted.

"What do you think you're doing?" Gray demanded.

"Lullaby's mine now!" Kage stated. "Shouldn't have let your guard down Flies!" Kage's laugh could be heard as he drove away.

"That jerk!" Natsu exclaimed.

"_This_ is how he pays us back for saving his life?" Lucy added.

"After him!" Erza demanded. Everyone then ran down the tracks, with Happy soaring above.

_TIMESKIP_

We soon found Kage again, the flute to his lips as he stood in front of...Master Makarov! "There he is!" Gray pointed out.

"Gramps!" Natsu exclaimed,

"Master!" Erza exclaimed.

"Shh!" A familiar voice said beside us. I turned and saw Master Bob. Lucy and the boys flinched back. "We're just about to get to the good part!" Master Bob told us. "Well aren't you boys yummy. So Adorable…"

"Who the heck is that guy?" Lucy whispered to Erza and I.

"Master Bob." Erza told her.

"Erza, honey, you have really filled out." Master Bob commented, turning to us.

"You're telling me that weirdo's the Master of the Blue Pegasus Guild?" Lucy reported.

"Master Bob may not look like much of a wizard but he is extremely talented." I told her, keeping an eye on Master Makarov.

"Well?" Mater Makarov wondered, "I can't wait all night, young man." Kage lifted Lullaby.

"Oh no!" Erza gasped. I clenched my fists, black magic licking my knuckles.

"Can you guys keep it down over there?" Master Goldmine asked. "We're just about to get to the good part."

"He's with Quatro Cerberus!" Lucy exclaimed.

"That's their Master, Goldmine." Erza explained.

"Well?" Master Makarov demanded. I knelt behind the bushes, the heels of my boots digging into the dirt beneath my feet. I eyed Kage distrustfully. "Nothing's going to change." Makarov said, "You cannot change the fact that those who are weak will forever remain weak. Now, maybe it's just me, but I don't think that's a bad thing. I mean, we humans are weak creatures by nature. Our insecurities are the reason that Guilds even exist. And, they're why we have friends. When we're surrounded with allies, it's easier to stay positive about the future. Think of it this way. If we're clumsy, then we may stumble and bump into things, but as long as we have faith in our future, we continue marching forward. Our inner strength emerges on it's own. But we have to chose that path and pledge to live our lives to the fullest. Don't let that silly flute get in the way." I watched as Kage fell to his knees in front of Master Makarov, dropping the flute.

"I surrender." Kage admitted.

"Master!" Erza called as we jogged towards him.

"You stopped him!" Natsu added.

"Good job Gramps." Gray continued.

"That was such a great speech!" I told our Master, gazing down at him.

"Wha-how did you kids end up in Clover?!" Master Makarov demanded.

"Master Makarov, your words touched me so deeply that I was almost moved to tears." Erza said, picking up our Gramps and smashing his head against her chestplate.

"Well, it looks like we got here just in time to see Gramps talk himself out of another one." Gray stated.

"Yeah, thank Mavis he stopped Kage, who knows what the Lullaby could have done." I added, crossing my arms.

"_I've grown tired of you cowardly wizards and your antics!_" A voice shouted. Everyone turned towards the Lullaby flute.

"Something came out!" Happy exclaimed as a dark purple Magic Circle appeared in the sky. Lighting crackled across the hills.

"_I can no longer hold back!_" Smoke started to swirl around the sky, "_I shall come forth and devour you myself!_" There was a bright flash of light before a large beast appeared. It was massive, standing tall above even the mountains that surrounded the Guild Master's Conference Hall. It was made of wood with three glowing purple eyes. It had sharp teeth, holes through it's body and spikes jutting from it's back. "_I shall feast upon your pitiful souls!_"

"It's so big!" Lucy shouted.

"Way to state the obvious!" Happy retorted.

"What is that thing?" Kage asked. "Erigor never said anything about a Monster!"

"We're in a pickle." Master Bob commented.

"It must be a Demon from the Book of Zeref." Master Goldmine said. The creature turned to us.

"Why did the flute turn into a monster?" Lucy wondered.

"That's what Lullaby's true form looks like in the flesh. It's forbidden, black magic. Living magic. Zeref's specialty."

"Living Magic?" Erza repeated.

"Who's Zeref?" Gray added. "Wasnt he some ancient Wizard?"

"He's the most evil Wizard the world has ever known." Master Bob told him. "He was very powerful in his day. But in my wildest dreams, I never thought his dark legacy would pop back up again."

"My Father told me that some Spells are eternal." I stated, shifting my weight as I got into a fighting stance. "So long as their Caster has enough magic power to do so."

"_Now the, which one of these delectable souls shall I dine on first?_" Lullaby mused.

"Delectable, huh?" Natsu repeated, "Do you think souls are really that tasty?"

"How should I know what they taste like?" Gray retorted.

"Natsu and Gray, get everyone to a safe place." Erza ordered.

"Quit barking orders!" Natsu whined.

"Yeah, your not the boss of us!" Gray retorted.

"Just do it!" Erza barked.

"Aye, aye!" The boys cried, running off to follow out Erza's orders.

"Another bad Happy impression?" Lucy muttered.

"_You doubt my power?_" Lullaby stated. It opened it's jaw and a Magic Circle appeared. From that circle, thousands of little golden needles shooting out and hitting a mountain. Once the dust cleared, the mountain was gone, reduced to rubble. "_I have no need for those pathetic humans. I prefer the taste of a Wizard's soul and I will consume all of yours!_"

"Oh yeah?" Natsu asked sarcastically, "I'd like to see you try! Bring it on big guy!"

"Lucy, stay back with Master Makarov." I told her, stepping forward to face Lullaby with Natsu, Gray and Erza, "No matter what happens, make sure both of you are safe." Lullaby then reared it's head and let out a mighty roar, a Magic Circle appearing in front of it's mouth.

"Ready?" Erza asked, summoning two swords.

"Oh yeah." The boys replied.

"Let's do this!" I ordered as the three of us raced forward. We lept at the creature, Erza requiping into her Heavens Wheel armour and dealing two blows to Lullaby.

"Ice Make lance!" Gray chanted, sending his multiple spears towards Lullaby and landing a hit.

"Fire Dragon! Iron Fist!" Natsu screamed, slugging Lullaby in the face. I landed close to the creature.

"Black Dragon!" I started, lifting my hands to the sky. Black orbs formed in between my palms. "Dark Bolt!" I thrust my hands towards Lullaby, the orbs became thin needles that pierced the Demon in multiple areas, it's chest, arms, legs, wherever they could reach.

"_You are making me angry!_" Lullaby roared, swiping its hand and destroying the hills we were just standing on. The four of us continued to deal damaging blows to the Demon, and landed on hills a little further away. Lullaby looked to the sky. It's Magic Circle expanded then shrunk, disappearing. I watched in horror as Lullaby sucked the lifeforce out of all of the plants in the surrounding area. "_Just one note and your souls will be mine!_" I braced myself for the impact of the song...but all that came out of Lullaby was a weak whistle. "_I don't understand! Why can't I play my melody of death?_" Lullaby kicked down another mountain. There were an explosion and fire erupted around Lullaby. I opened my mouth, and alongside Natsu, we sucked up all of the fire easily. "_You two aren't human!_" Lullaby decreed, turning to us. "_Your Monsters!_" Lullaby punched the hill we were standing on. Natsu and I jumped up and started to run up Lullaby's arm.

"Say's the demon trying to ear our souls!" I retorted.

"_Stop climbing me!_" Erza requiped into her Black Wing Armour, and with hers and Gray's attack, the Demon was almost down.

"Yami! Natsu! Erza shouted at us.

"Now!" Gray added. I sucked in a deep breath, jumping high above Lullaby.

"I call upon the depths of darkness in our world." I started to chant. At the ends of my fingertips, two orbs of darkness started to form, growing by the second, "The shadows and the night, I ask to share your power. Black Dragon! Vortex of Darkness!" I clapped my hands together, and the black orbs encompassed the Demon's entire torso, the gravity of which pulled it's arms to its side and into my attack. I landed beside Lucy, and with a flash of light, Lullaby was destroyed.

"Well done." Master Makarov complimented.

"You're amazing." Master Bob continued.

"You made defeating Zeref's demon look easy." Master Goldmine added. I smirked at Lucy, softening my eyes at her. Lucy laughed happily, throwing her arms around my neck and holding me tight. Red spread across my cheeks, and I hugged her back gently.

"I can't believe how strong they are." Kage gasped. "Wow...are all of the Fairy Tail Wizards as powerful as these four?"

"There's no doubt about it, this _is_ the strongest team!" Lucy cheered.

"Aye!" Happy agreed.

"We're an awesome guild, aren't we?" Master Makarov shouted.

"Great work out there guys." Lucy complimented.

"Thanks, but it wasn't a big deal." Natsu dismissed.

"Yeah, piece of cake." Gray added.

"We could do that again in our sleep." I bragged. The dust then cleared, and a shock gasped echoed throughput the assembled Guild Masters. I tensed, closing my eyes. "No, don't tell me…" I turned slowly, cracking open one eye as I surveyed the damage. My eyes then fully snapped open, and my jaw dropped. The Guild Master's Conference Hall was gone...alongside most of the ground underneath it, leaving only a deep hole.

"The Conference Hall's been destroyed!" Lucy gasped.

"Aye!" Happy agreed, "There's also a couple of mountain tops missing!"

"Ha ha! We really made a mess of the place, huh?" Natsu asked cheerfully.

"Please forgive us Master!" Erza wailed. I grabbed Master Makarov by the back of the collar, and tucked him under my arm.

"Let's go!" I shouted. "We need to get out of here!" Erza, Gray, Happy, Lucy, Natsu and I ran to get away from the mass of angry wizards out for blood.


	9. Natsu Devours a Village

Two days. We've been stuck in Clover Canyon for two days. With no food or water whatsoever. My stomach was twisted in knots, but I tried to stay strong, for Lucy. She was relying on me, and by Mavis I will keep her safe. We soon came across Web Valley, one of the hardest places to navigate. "Come on Happy!" Lucy complained, "Don't tell me that you got us lost again! We've been walking for forever and a half and we still haven't found Magnolia yet! Why are we following a Cat anyway!"

"What do you mean again?" Happy questioned, "How rude! I wasn't lost last time so this is the first time I've gotten us lost."

"First time or not, let's just try to make it our last, ok?"

"Man, I want some food." Natsu groaned.

"We all do." Gray retorted, "Talking about it makes us hungrier."

"I can't help it if I'm hungry, jerk!"

"No, but you can stop running you're mouth, can't you?"

"Listen up!" Master Makarov but in. "We need some food…"

"Yeah! We know!" Natsu and Gray chorused.

"Enough." Erza ordered, however it was undercut by a loud groan from her stomach.

"You're stomach's trying to tell you something, isn't it?" Natsu wondered.

"No it's not, you're hearing things."

"Uh, yeah, real convincing Erza." Gray stated.

"Will you all shut up." I snapped. "We're all hungry." There was then a large squeal, and I turned to see Happy grinning like a crazy kitten, looking down into the cavern below.

"What are you excited about?" Natsu asked.

"Down there!" Happy cheered, pointing down into the cavern. "Look, Natsu!" Happy added, "Look!" Everyone peeked down to see a school...flock...group of Wing Fish. They were flying around, smiling wide as they chanted about how they could fly. "Those are Wing Fish! They're a legendary delicacy, and they're super yummy from what I hear."

"A legendary delicacy?" Gray muttered.

"Wing Fish, huh?" Erza added.

"Sounds good to me." Natsu declared.

"Well done Happy." Master Makarov sobbed, placing his hand on the blue cat's shoulder. "You make this old man very proud."

"Guys, enough with the growling stomachs." Lucy groaned. Lucy's stomach then let out a loud gurgle.

"You were saying?" Gray teased.

"Shut up." I hissed at him, glaring darkly.

"Now!" Happy declared, having pulled a fishing rod out of nowhere, "Time to fish!" Pretty soon, everyone was holding a fishing rod and was sitting on the side of the cavern try and catch a Wing Fish.

"Aw, come on you stupid fish!" Natsu complained, "Just shut up and let me eat you!"

"We've gotta fish harder guys!" Happy stated, a determined look crossing his features.

"I don't know, are you sure these things really taste that good?" Lucy asked.

"Lucy, at the moment, anything will do." I told her softly, turning to her. "We haven't eaten in two days, so even if this tastes horrible."

"I didn't know you were _that_ hungry."

"You're going in my belly!" Happy declared. "Right now! You hear! Happy's gonna eat you fish!" It was another couple of minutes before Happy put down his fishing rod. "Whatever, I give up."

"That was fast." Lucy commented.

"Well, I couldn't catch a single fish." I tuned out the rest of their conversation, my grip tightening on the fishing rod. I was starving, I needed to eat, and eat now. In the end, we only managed to catch one fish, it was thin and only half the height of Happy.

"All that effort and only one fish?" I muttered.

"All that trouble for onefish." Erza added. Natsu then used his flames to cook the thing.

"Go ahead and eat it Happy." Natsu said.

"But that wouldn't be fair to you guys, would it?" Happy asked.

"They're way too small to split up, if we had a bite we'd just want more." Gray explained.

"Hurry up and eat it before we change our minds!" Master Makarov demanded.

"Ok, don't mind if we do!" Happy declared. He took the fish, and then proceeded to chomp down. When he finished, Happy each pulled faces. "Gross!"

"Are you kidding me!" Lucy exclaimed. After that ordeal, we all started on our way again to try and find home. I kept close to Lucy, trying to keep her safe.

"I hate to say it, but…" Natsu started.

"All that fishing…" Gray continued.

"Made me hungrier." Master Makarov finished. We soon came across a village made of stone.

"A village!" Erza gasped.

"Houses!" Gray added.

"That means only one thing!" I cheered.

"Food!" Everyone cried. We all ran forward, hoping to the beings above that the people living there would share. We then came to a stop, looking around and realising that the town was empty and eerily quiet.

"There's no one here." Gray commented.

"It does seem awfully quiet, doesn't it?" Lucy wondered.

"Maybe they're taking an afternoon nap or something." Natsu added. "Hey! Anybody here!"

"We're starving like crazy out here!" Happy called. "Somebody cook us some dinner!"

"Wow, Happy, ever hear of the word please?" Lucy asked.

"Are we seriously asking whether or not the entire town is taking a nap?" I asked. "It's too quiet for that."

"Well, it's either that or they all got drunk and passed out." Master Makarov commented.

"I think that only happens back at the Guild." Lucy told him.

"We do love our spirits, don't we." I closed my eyes and took a deep breath in through my nose.

"Yami, what do you smell?" Erza asked me. I then opened my eyes.

"Food, freshly cooked, as if it had just been set on the table." I reported, my eyebrows pinching together. I lifted my hand started to count out on my fingers, "No alcohol, no scent of any person, just...emptyness."

"That's strange."

"She's right." Gray agreed. "Who would leave food just sitting around like that and then just leave? Where the heck are they now."

"Who cares!" Natsu cheered, preparing to run off. "I'm ready to dig in!"

"Not so fast." I said, grabbing Natsu by the ear so he stayed put. "We have to investigate what happened here first."

"We've heald out this long." Erza added, "We can hold on a little-" Erza was cut off by the sound of her own stomach.

"I think you're stomach might have different plans." Lucy said.

"Hmm...yes." Master Makarov agreed. "But which one do we listen to?"

"Search the area for mushrooms or anything that looks edible!" Erza ordered, shouting over the sound of her stomach. "And don't eat the food in the village, ok? While you're all doing that, Master and I will try to figure out what's going on."

"Yeah, yeah, I hear 'ya." Natsu muttered, rubbing his ear as he left, "Let's go Happy."

"Aye…" Happy responded dejectedly.

_TIMESKIP_

Natsu, Gray, Happy, Lucy and I found ourselves in the forest, foraging for anything edible. We actually did come across a whole grove of mushrooms. "Stupid Erza." Natsu complained, "How am I supposed to get full on a bunch of mushrooms? That food back there smelled really good too!"

"Hey, mushrooms." Gray realised.

"I take it back! These look tasty!"

"But why mushrooms?" Lucy wondered.

"It's so obvious Lucy." Happy said.

"Oh yeah, do enlighten us." I asked sarcastically.

"Natsu's gonna eat a poisonous mushroom, then something weird'll happen to him. You know the cliché, right?"

"Give me some credit Happy." Natsu said stuffing his face with mushrooms. "You really think I'd fall for some lame gag like that? No way."

"Say's the boy eating said mushrooms."

"These mushrooms aren't that big but if I keep eating a ton of them I'm bound to get full sooner or later."

"And here comes the setp!" Happy commented.

"Better start picking faster." Gray said, munching on a mushroom as well. Natsu then clutched his throat. I raised an eyebrow at him.

"And here's the gag!"

"That was scary." Natsu said, oblivious to the mushroom that just sprouted from his head.

"You're head is scary!" Lucy shouted.

"I was hoping they'd turn him purple." Happy sulked.

"Uh...that's what you were _hoping_ for?"

"Hey, what are you all worked up about?" Gray asked, joining us once more. I looked up and saw that he too had a mushroom on his head.

"Just take a look at one another, ok?" Lucy asked, waving her hand dismissively.

"Why?" They asked, turning to the other. They then started to fight over their new head adornments.

"You two are idiots!" I shouted at them. "It doesn't matter how you look! THis could be really bad!" I groaned when the two of them just started to fight properly.

"You can fight later!" Lucy exclaimed, "Worry about the mushrooms first!" When the teo paused from fighting, I crossed my arms. "Come on guys. Turn off the stupid, would 'ya?"

"Lucy! Yami! Look!" Happy called. "I found a big one!"

"Holy cow that's big! I don't even wanna know what that would do to 'ya."

"Oh man!" Natsu gasped. "Wow! It's huge!"

"Yeah, it's so big we could eat off it for days." Gray agreed.

"We're not eating any more of these things." I insisted. "No one is getting a mushroom on their head-HAPPY!" I leapt forward and grabbed Happy's cheks, pulling them apart. "After watching Gray and Natsu you _still_ wanna eat one of these things! Spit that out right now!"

"But it's yummy." Happy complained. He then gripped his throat, and soon after a mushroom sprouted from his head.

"Well, I guess that happens to everyone who eats these things, huh?" Natsu questioned.

"I wonder if the villagers knew some way around the problem."

"Who knows. Maybe they like the way it looks."

"Yeah, maybe we'll be in style when we get back to town."

"It's not as funny this time!" Happy wailed

"We're you _trying_ to be funny?" Lucy questioned. "Uh, Natsu, is it just me or is your mushroom growing?"

"Why does _he_ get all the good gags!" There was then a loud growling, and my head snapped over to the village.

"You hear that?" Natsu asked.

"What is that?" Lucy wondered. I glanced over to the boys as their mushrooms shone, and then fell off.

"Yay! The mushrooms are gone now!" Happy cheered.

"Take a look at your head, Happy, your mushroom seems to be hanging on." I said. We then turned heel and ran, sprinting back to the village.

"Erza!" Natsu shouted. We all stopped short when we found them, red lines glowing an angrily beneath our feet.

"Lucy, stick close to me." I said, inching closer to her. The ground started to move, and the buildings began to sway.

"Woah, what's with this place?"

"Why is everything moving?" Lucy questioned, latching onto my atm and pressing close.

"It looks likt the houses are having a dance party, huh?" Happy commented.

"I think you're missing the point here."

"It can't be…" Master Makarov muttered.

"It's time to rumble gramps." Gray said, somehow already having lost his shirt.

"No, wait!"

"What? Why?"

"We need to get to higher ground. There's something I have to check."

"Alright guys, let's go." Erza ordered. We all started to run from the vilage, somehow making it to higher ground. When we reached a cliff, we looked back down to the village and saw that it was now a bunch of monsters writing around.

"It can't be." Master Makarov muttered.

"Oh man, it looks like we got out just in time." Natsu stated.

"Now I see, it was a Magic Circle." Erza said, causing everyone to gasp. My eyes traced the runes of the circle, and they widened.

"Master…" I breathed shakily. "Those lines...that's 'Alive'. I thought that Magic was banned years ago!"

"What does it do?" Lucy asked.

"Just look. The Magic is doing it's work right now. This beans of Magic can turn any inanimate object into a living creature."

"It appears the villages cast the forbidden spell only to end up being eaten by the very Monsters they bought to life." Master Makarov added.

"But why would they use Magic that's been banned?" Lucy asked.

"The village was home to a Dark Guild." Erza reported.

"No way…" Natsu muttered.

"While investigating, I came across a collection of Magic Tools tucked away in a shed. Upon closer inspection, I realised they were tools used to practice Black Magic."

"Knowing how reckless Dark Guilds can be, they probably thought up some crazy plan and wound up getting burned in the process." Master Makarov explained. "But! There's one thing we should be grateful for."

"Oh yeah, and what would that be?" Natsu wondered.

"The Dark Guild's mischief bought these creatures to life and most living creatures can be turned into food!"

"Let's go and eat then." I stated, jumping off the cliff and running towards the Monsters with Lucy, Erza, Natsu and Gray close behind. "Black Dragon! Sword Horn!" My head connected with one of the Monsters, and I knocked it out. "Black Dragon! Roar!" Aiming my attack just above the creature, the heat of it managed to cook the Monster. My stomach let out an embarasing gurgle. One of it's smaller tentacles had fallen off, so I grabbed it and took a large bite. As soon as the flavour hit my tongue, I gagged. It was horrible. I spat it out instantly.

"What were you thinking Gramps?" Natsu demanded as we all gathered around him. "There's no way we can eat that nasty stuff!"

"You tryin' to kill us you old geezer!" Gray said.

"True, I would hardly call this edible." Erza stated.

"If you knew it was hardly edible why'd you force me to eat it!" Lucy exclaimed. A dark aura formed around me and I glared at Erza.

"You forced her to do _what_?" I snarled, my eyes turning blue. Erza flinched and took a hesitant step back. There as a thud as Happy collided with the side of the cliff, riding a chair. The mushroom that was on his head finally falling off.

"You're mushroom finally fell off." Gray pointed out, "Look."

"I don't wanna know about the stupid mushroom!" Happy complained, "I wanna know why you guys didn't help me! How could you be so mean? I thought we were friends!"

"We are!" Natsu insisted.

"You were just goofing off, right?" Gray wondered.

"What are we going to do now?" Erza asked. "I would rather starve than eat more of that stuff."

"Guess that's what we get for trying to cook up a bunch of Monsters."

"Man, this whole thing is just the worst." I stated. "Just cooking that thing made me even hungrier." There was a roar, and my eyes snapped over to a Monster towering over Happy.

"Look out!" Natsu shouted, sending a flaming punch. I looked around me and noticed that there were more Monsters.

"Man, these things are nasty." Gray commented.

"In more ways than one." Erza added.

"Let's get these guys dealt with." I stated, dropping into a fighting stance. "Black Dragon! Iron Fist!" After a good majority of the Monsters were dead, we gathered. Unfortunately, the things were persistent, and more Monsters took their place. "These things are never-ending!" There was a rumble that caused me to stumble and try to regain my footing. I reached out for Lucy, wanting to keep her safe.

"Great, what's happening now?" Lucy demanded. A light shone from the Magic Circle.

"Are you kidding me!" Natsu exclaimed.

"Oh wow! It's so pretty!" Happy complimented.

"You're missing the point again!" Lucy shouted. "What's going through that little mixd up head of yours?"

"This is bad." Erza stated. I took another step closer to Lucy. The ground then started to crack, and soon broke away from under our feet.

"LUCY!" I screamed, reaching out and trying to grab her hand.

"YAMI!" Lucy cried, straining to brush her fingers against mine.

_TIMESKIP_

"I'm starving." Natsu complained. "Like for real." We continued on our journey, Happy flying beside us.

"I can't walk another step you guys." Happy commented.

"Well good thing you gave wings, unlike the rest of us, you show off." Gray scolded.

"I still don't get what happened." Lucy admitted.

"Um, Master." Erza started, prompting me to look at her.

"Yes?" Master Makarov acknowledged.

"I'm not satisfied with your explanation, sir."

"That so…"

_FLASHBACK_

_We all stood around the now-human-again villagers. "Now spill it." Natsu demanded, "What were you trying to pull?"_

"_We were using the Magic Circle to cast Forbidden Spells." One of them admitted. "But those Monsters appeared and took over everyone in the town."_

"_So the Monsters we fought, you were all trapped inside them." Erza stated. I cringed, feeling a pit in my stomach._

__"_Oh...you made me taste one of those things." Lucy groaned._

__"_When you stepped into the Circle, it activated the spell and we no longer had control of ourselves." A man with a tree on his head continued. _

"_Well, you won't have to worry about that happening again." Master Makarov said. _

"_What'dya mean by that Gramps?" Natsu wondered. _

__"_There's no need to sweat the details, my boy." Master Makarov pointed at the villagers, "Now, as for all of you villagers, you should be grateful that someone came along to free you from your possession. I assume you've learned your lesson from this gross misuse of magic, and as long as it doesn't happen again, I won't report you to the Council. Is that a deal?"_

"_Yes, of course." The female from before said. "We never wanna go through that again. Thank you so much."_

"_You have our word." Tree-head added. _

_FLASHBACK END_

"When we finally defeated the Monsters, it seemed to activate some kind of self-destructive spell within the Magic Circle." Erza revealed, "That's when you came in."

"That's right." I added, remembering the events. "You managed to not only free the Dark Guild from their botched spell, destroyed the Magic Circle and saved us all, moments before we were to be crushed."

"How did you do it?"

"I'll tell you girls some day." Master said to us. Erza and I exchanged looks. "But what matters now is…"

"We're still hungry!" Everyone complained.


	10. Natsu Vs Erza

We arrived back at the Guild in no time after almost another day of wandering Clover Canyon. I was so happy just to get some food in me. After Erza had left and the boys had fallen asleep, I got ready to go home. As I approached the guild entrance, a hand curled around my sleeve, and I turned to see Lucy. "I thought you'd already gone home." I commented.

"Yeah...I was waiting to talk to you but, you were distracted." Lucy admitted.

"Is everything ok?"

"Yeah. I was just wondering...if you wanted to stay at my place tonight. I know your house is really far away, and it's late and-"

"I'll come with you." I interrupted. Lucy grinned. She grabbed my arm and practicaly pulled me towards her house. My lips twitched up into a small smirk at her eagerness. When we got to her place, she paused.

"Uhh….I didn't think this through." She admitted.

"It's all good." I assured her. "I'll take the floor."

"No! You can't do that!" She protested. "I...uh...you could share the bed with me?"

"Are you sure?" I confirmed. Lucy nodded. "Alright then." That night ended with me laying in Lucy's bed alongside her. She was wearing a t-shirt and shorts. I, unfortunately, didn't have any sleep clothes, so I was reduced to my underclothes. The bedspread was stained with her scent, vanilla and something tangy. Lucy was facing away from me, so I could only see her back. "Goodnight Lucy." I breathed as my eyelids fell.

_TIMESKIP_

My eyes scrunched together as the sunlight filtered through the window. I heard the bath running so I assumed Lucy was getting ready. I got out of bed and stretched, heading into the kitchen. Still in my bra and underpants, I grabbed myself a cup of water and returned to the lounge room...where Gray had appeared and was lounging around in his boxers. "Get out." I ordered. He yelped, falling off the chair.

"What are you doing here Yami?" Gray demanded.

"None of your business." I pointed to the door. "Out!"

"Alright, alright." Gray muttered, standing and walking out. I sighed, continuing to drink the water I had.

"AAAHH!" A voice screamed. I turned and saw Lucy, dressed and ready for the day and sitting at her table. "Why are you naked!" She demanded. I glanced down at my bare form.

"Oh, I guess I should change, huh?" I set my glass down and starting to change back int my clothes. "Sorry about that."

"No no no! It's ok!"

"You ready for today?" I asked, buttoning up my shirt.

"Today? Whats today?" Lucy asked.

"It's Erza and Natsu's rematch, remember?"

_TIMESKIP_

I followed lucy as she shoved her way into the middle of the fight. "No way!" Lucy gasped. "They're really going through with it?"

"Erza never backs down from a challenge." I told her, my eyes not leaving the duo in the middle of the circle.

"Oh, hey Lucy, hey Yami." Mira greeted.

"Well, if those two value their manhood, then they'd better go through with it." Elfman stated.

"Erza's not a man."

"But you've got to admit, she's manly." Macao commented.

"Aren't you worried this fight could tear our strongest team apart?" Lucy wondered.

"What are you talking about, our strongest team?" Gray asked her.

"You, Natsu, Yami and Erza, you dummy! You're the four strongest Wizards in the Guild!"

"We are? Yeah, right, what idiot fed you that line?" Mira's smile held on for a second...before she broke down in tears. "Oh, you're not an idiot Mira." I balled my fist and conked Gray in the back of the head.

"Smooth move Gray." Lucy muttered.

"I'll hand it to Natsu and Gray, they're tough little dudes." Elfman stated, "But neither of them are even close to being the strongest. There are guys in Fairy Tail who are stronger than both of them combined. Like this guy!" Elfman pointed at himself.

"But calling Erza one of the strongest _women_ in the Guild is a pretty safe bet." Levy added. "But Yui is definitely the strongest. She's a-"

"Shhh!" I hissed at her.

"She's a what?" Lucy questioned.

"Nothing!"

"As far as the guys, it's a tough call, but I'd put my money on Laxus or Mystogan." Jet continued.

"All I meant was the four of them work well together, and they have the best team chemistry in all of Fairy Tail." Mira sobbed.

"Ok, and this is coming from the same person who sent me on a mission to keep Natsu and Gray from killing each other when Erza or Yami wasn't around?" Lucy wondered.

"Gotta say, I'm pretty psyched to see how this fight turns out." Elfman admitted.

"Oh yeah? I'm sure she'll end up moping the floor with him." Gray told him.

"If that's not the case then I'm three-thousand Jewel in the hole." I said. I then frowned. "And I need that money for groceries. I bet that something would happen and Erza would beat Natsu after the battle."

"That's really specific." Lucy told me.

"Yeah, but knowing our guild, it's probably gonna happen."

"It's been quite a while since we've squared off like this." Erza commented. "Hasn't it Natsu?"

"I was just a little kid back then." Natsu stated. "Today's gonna be different. 'Cause I'm taking you down Erza."

"Well, I'm not going to go easy on you. In fact, I have the perfect armour for this occasion." Erza then Requiped into her Flame Eperess armour. The armour itself was mainly red and black, with a bit of orange mixed in as well. She wore claw-like shoes, gauntlets on her hands and black bands that held her hair into two high-ponytails. On the back of her armour was two dragon-wing like extensions.

"That's Flame Empress Armour." Macao realised. "Good choice against Fire Magic."

"Now Natsu's flames will only be half as effective." Laki added.

"Come on Erza, at least give the kid a fighting chance." Wakaba complained.

"Why are you guys picking sides?" Lucy whined, "I don't want either of them to lose."

"Get into the spirit Lucy." Gray told her.

"Wow, Flame Emperess Armour, huh?" Natsu mused. "Good news for me. That means I can turn up the heat as high as I want to." Natsu emphasized his point by lighting a fist on fire.

"Round One, start!" Master Makarov declared. Natsu and Erza then started to fight, trading blows back and forth and even burning the toes of a couple of members.

"Woah…" Lucy breathed.

"See, it's a good fight, huh?" Elfman commented.

"This fight sucks." Gray grumbled. There was then a large gong sound, and Erza and Natsu froze in place. Everyone turned to see a frog-like person step into the circle. She wore Magic Council robes, so she was here in official business.

"This fight is over!" She declared. "May I have your attention, please. I have come here on behalf of the Magic Council."

"No way!" Levy gasped.

"Seriously?" Jet added.

"Why would the Council send her here?" Droy continued.

"Am I the only one who noticed she's a frog?" Lucy asked.

"As a result of the Eisenwald incident, a member of your Guild has been charged with eleven counts of property damage." The Messanger Frog stated, reading from a scroll she had pulled out of her bag. "Yami Asaka, you are under arrest!"

"Huh?" Natsu exclaimed, "You're putting her under a-what?"

_TIMESKIP_

I was handcuffed by some of the Magical Council guards and was being escorted towards the chamber by a frog-like subordinate. We paused at the sight of Councilmember Siegrain. "Councilman." I greeted evenly. The frog next to me knelt in reverence.

"It's been quite a while, Yami." Siegrain commented. "Please relax."

"I find myself unable to due to my current predicament."

"I'm only here in spirit." Siegrain informed, his form flickering. "I'm sending this projection from Era. In fact, all the wrinkled faces in that courtroom are projections as well. We didn't think it necessary to be here for such a trivial matter."

"I see. So does that mean that you're the one behind this accusation?" I clarified. "I find that to be quite a despicable act."

"Now, let's be civil. I've always been a staunch defender of Fairy Tail. But the elders are worried the blame for Clover's destruction will fall into their laps. And the only way to avoid that is to place the blame on someone else entirely. You're their scapegoat." Siegrain then approached me. He pinched my chin and lent close to my ear. "And you better remind Erza not to let a word slip about you-know-what. For both our sakes." Siegrain then turned and walked away. "I must join my colleagues on the Council. I'll see you shortly on the other side."

"Oh wow, you know some very important people." The frog-person beside me croaked.

"He's not all that important." I commented, walking forward. "From what I've been told his an Evil man." I was soon brought into the council's chambers. I stood in front of the council, gazing up at them. The gavel rapped against the wood as the session was called to order.

"This courtroom will now come to order!" A frog-person ordered. "Before us is the defendant, Yami Asaka. Please take the stand Miss Asaka." I took a step forward.

"Yami Asaka, you stand before the Council to answer to charges stemming from the incident involving the Dark Guild Eisenwald." The judge declared. "These charges include extensive damage to Oshibana station, the collapse of the Reeyusika Gorge Railway Bridge and the complete destruction of the Clover Meeting Hall. There are eleven property damage charges against you. According to eyewitness reports, the perpetrator is described as a darkly dressed, blonde female wizard." There was an explosion behind me, and everyone turned to it. "What is the meaning of this?!" I turned to see Natsu...dressed in a black skirt, a black jacket, white shirt and a crude blonde wig on his head.

"I'm the crazy lady in dark clothes you old-timers have been looking for!" Natsu shouted. "If you've got a problem with the way me and my Guild do things you can bite me! I am the all-powerful Yami! You thought I was destructive before, well you ain't seen nothing yet!" I sighed, watching Natsu cause all this destruction and knowing I would be blamed for this too. "Do you really think the stuff I destroyed is more important than the Guild Masters' lives? Well?"

"Take them away…"

"I apologise for his behaviour, your honour." I said, bowing towards the Council.

"What are you doing Yami? Don't apologise to these council jerks! Oops, I mean - I AM ERZA!"

_TIMESKIP_

I glared at Natsu from across the cell. My hands had been unbound, and Natsu was sitting with a black eye. "There are one million, thirteen thousand, one hundred and fifty words in the entire English dialect and there is not a single combination of them that describes my urge to pummel you further." I stated. "That trial was just for show!"

"Seriously?" Natsu asked.

"It was all a ploy. All the Council was doing was using me as an example to show everyone that if you break the law you'd be punished. These kinds of things are what they do to keep the Wizards in check."

"Wait a minute, so this is all for show?"

"I just said that! Besides, all they would have done is found me guilty and let me go with a slap on the wrist and no formal punishment. But now because of your stupidity, we're stuck in jail together! I honestly can't believe you sometimes Natsu." I huffed, turning away from him.

"I'm sorry."

"I know that, but you meant well." I looked over at Natsu. "It's the Dragon in you, Brood protects Brood."

_TIMESKIP_

The next day, we were finally released. In the comfort of the Guild again, I stretched out on a table next to Erza. Natsu was running around the guild with fire spewing out of his mouth ecstatic that he had won. "Who would have thought fresh air could smell so sweet!" He cheered. "I'm gonna breathe it in all day! It's the sweet smell of freedom!" Gray, Lucy and Elfman were at my table as well. I sat close to Lucy, my Dragon calming at her presence.

"Shut up." Jet groaned.

"I'll never take it for grants again!"

"I can't believe that stupid arrest and trial were all just for show." Lucy moaned. "All that worrying for nothing."

"So you weren't a sacrificial lamb, but a scapegoat." Gray realised. I nodded.

"You must be one heck of an Ice Wizard 'cause even your jokes leave me cold." Elfman muttered. "Hey Natsu! You gonna finish going Man-to-Man with Erza?"

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that." Natsu said. "So, what do you say? Wanna pick up where we left off?"

"I'm not in the mood right now." Erza told him. Natsu ignored her, lighting his fist.

"I'm not letting you off the hook that easy!"

"I swear…" Erza sighed and stood, sinking her fist into Natsu's stomach. The boy froze, and then promptly collapsed on the floor.

"How's that? Are you satisfied?"

"And he's out!" Happy cheered.

"Way to go champ!" Gray laughed.

"Guess we know who the _real_ man is." Elfman added.

"Wait, who won the betting pool then?" A random member asked. There were many protests until the tub of Jewl was set in front of me. I smirked.

"The winner is Yui!" Cana declared. "She was the most accurate guess." There were groans across the guild, and I cheered happily. But then, I started to feel tired. I yawned, putting my hand over my mouth. Lucy slumped into me. I kept her upright, holding her close as the Guild Doors opened. Mystogan walked in, and headed straight to the Request Board.

"Mystogan." Master Makarov greeted. The hooded man took a paper off the board and showed it to him.

"I shall return." Mystogan stated.

"No, wait, lift your sleeping spell before you leave." Mystogan turned and saw me.

"Yami." Mystogan then went to leave. "Five...four...three...two...one…" Everyone snapped awake.

"Oh man…" Jet groaned. "Was Mystogan here?"

"What a joke." Droy agreed.

"Does he have to put us to sleep?" Levy questioned. I gently shook Lucy to full conciosouness.

"You good?" I asked softly, helping her sit up.

"Yeah, I'm good. Who is this Mystogan guy?" Lucy wondered.

"For one, he's a contender for Fairy Tail's strongest Wizard." Elfman told her.

"Really?"

"Yeah." Gray agreed. "And for some reason, he doesn't want anyone to see what he looks like. So, whenever he comes here to take a job he casts a sleeping spell."

"That's kinda creepy." Lucy commented.

"Master Makarov and Yami are the only ones who's ever seen what Mystogan actually looks like."

"I've only seen him with his mask on." I informed. "I've never seen his face proper, and i don't want too. It's his choice wether or not I see him."

"That's not true, I've seen him before." A voice from the second floor spoke up, causing everyone to tilt their heads upwards. Laxus Dreyer, Master Makarov's grandson and a fellow S-Class Wizard.

"Laxus?" Elfman questioned.

"Talk about rare." Macao added.

"You're never here." Wakaba said.

"And here's another contender." Gray droned.

"Mystogan's just a little shy." Laxus explained snootily, "You should all respect his privacy."

"Alright Laxus! You ane me! Right now!" Natsu declared, jumping up from his spot on the floor. Huh, I guess he woke up.

"Getting your but kicked once today wasn't enough?" Gray asked.

"Yeah pal. If you can't even win against the redhead, why bother with me?"

"What are you trying to say?" Ezra demanded, a glare that could cut stone directed up at the blond man.

"No need to get all worked up Erza." Gray warned.

"I'm saying that I'm the Guild's strongest Wizard." Laxus said.

"Then come down here and prove it." Natsu said.

"You come up to me, little man." My palm made contact with my forehead as Natsu went to run up the stairs to reach the second floor. Master Makarov then slammed a large fist down on him,

"You're not allowed on the Second Floor, Natsu." Master Makarov stated. "At least not yet."

"I think you made him grumpy." Laxus taunted.

"Shut up!" Natsu ground.

"That's enough out of you Laxus." Master Makarov ordered.

"The most powerful one in the Guild isn't a chick or some hooded weirdo." Laxus stated, rising to his full height. "You wanna know what the strongest Wizard looks like? You're looking right at him!" Laxus pointed to himself with his thumb. I glared up at him. Such a misogynistic prick. One day I'm gonna put him in his place. I'm gonna prove to him that he's not even worthy to be near me.


End file.
